UWinnipeg alumna Taylor Wilson (MDP 20, BA 16) has been named a 2026 Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholar, one of just 18 students across Canada to receive the award. The prestigious award recognizes outstanding doctoral students whose work addresses pressing societal challenges and contributions to community.
An Ojibwe, Cree and Filipino PhD student at the University of British Columbia, Taylor’s research is rooted in community, culture and lived experience. She is building on the work she began in the University of Winnipeg’s Masters of Development Practice (MDP) program where she first explored Indigenous food sovereignty.
Like many students, her academic path was deeply personal and shaped by personal curiosity and lived experience. While completing her studies, Taylor was navigating a prediabetes diagnosis, prompting her to rethink her relationship with food and health.
“I was struggling with my health and trying to figure out how to eat healthy,” said Taylor who was raised in Fisher River Cree Nation, two hours north of Winnipeg. “At one point I went home to my community and realized that being vegan is very difficult to do in First Nations communities.”
A lot of the health messaging that I was reading, really clashed not only with my cultural values, but also the systemic barriers faced in my community.
Taylor Wilson
Through the interdisciplinary MDP program, Taylor began researching what it means to eat healthy as an Indigenous person. She found that mainstream health recommendations, often Western-centric, did not align with the cultural values she was raised with or reflect the realities of life in many Indigenous communities.
For her master’s research project, Taylor critically reviewed the Canadian Food Guide and examined its applicability in Indigenous communities in Canada.
“A lot of the health messaging that I was reading, really clashed not only with my cultural values, but also the systemic barriers faced in my community,” she explained.
These barriers include limited access to fresh fruits and vegetables, challenges with potable drinking water, and the high cost of food in remote and northern communities.
Researching Indigenous food sovereignty
Now pursuing her PhD, Taylor is expanding this work by exploring the revitalization of Cree agricultural knowledges as pathways to Indigenous food sovereignty, ecological justice and community wellbeing. Her research integrates historical and land-based approaches to understanding how colonial agricultural policies disrupted Indigenous food and health systems and how communities are reclaiming these relationships today.
“I am fortunate that I come from a progressive community that is big on creating opportunities for our members and building sustainable economic health and education practices,” said Taylor. “I am thinking about what the possibilities are in my home community for building up a sustainable agricultural system.”
The work is already under way. At the grassroots level, Taylor is collaborating with community members in Fisher River Cree Nation, including Elders, Chief and Council, and local organizations to develop culturally relevant food resources.
In 2020, Taylor and her research advisor Dr. Shailesh Skukla worked collaboratively with community to launch a Fisher River Cree Nation cookbook. Building on that success, they are now developing a food guide tailored specifically to Fisher River Cree Nation, with a plan to launch later this summer.
The food guide will feature historical food knowledge, seasonal harvesting calendars and information on culturally relevant foods, alongside recipes, nutritional information and insights into movement as medicine.
Trudeau Foundation Scholarship
After an extensive application process, Taylor learned she had been selected as a Trudeau Scholar during the middle of her exams. She said at the time, it was difficult to grasp and appreciate the magnitude of her achievement.
“When I heard, it was hard to fully take it in,” said Taylor. “But it was really affirming. It’s easy to feel imposter syndrome, and receiving this award reminds me that the work I’m doing matters. It allows me to focus and continue engaging with my community in a good way.”
In addition to financial support, the scholarship offers mentorship and opportunities to connect with a national network of scholars and leaders, an aspect Taylor is excited about.
“The type of work I do benefits from multiple perspectives and insights,” said Taylor. “Being able to have conversations with people outside my field, or even those who look at things from a different lens is really helpful. It only makes my work better.”
