New West Schools implement disclosure of Indigenous ancestry

If you’re applying to be a teacher in the New Westminster school district, you may notice an option to declare Indigenous ancestry. 

“It’s been something we’ve been considering for some time,” says Robert Weston, the executive director of human resources for New Westminster Schools. He says the effort began a few years back. “It was a logical extension: Looking at our internal processes and to see if there was a way we could encourage applicants, in this particular case, with Indigenous ancestry.”

There are a few reasons for this: Weston says the lack of a self-identification process means the district is unclear as to who is Indigenous. The identification process had to be checked by the Human Rights Commission before it was implemented, to ensure that the option was appropriate. 

“Anytime you’re attempting to implement something that might be interpreted as discriminatory, whether it’s positive or negative, there are human rights implications, and so that’s what started this process,” says Weston, who adds the declaration had to get an exemption from the human rights code. The process has taken about 18 months to implement. Prince Rupert and Richmond’s models helped inform New West’s.  

The next step, Weston says, is to hit 3% Indigenous representation among New West school district employees within three years. New Westminster Schools employ about 550 teachers and 400 district workers, including clerical staff, education assistants, crossing guards, and maintenance workers. 

‘We need more,’ says Qayqayt chief

Chief Rhonda Larabee of the Qayqayt First Nation says it’s a good move, but there is still more to do—and hopefully that includes hiring more Indigenous educators and staff. Larabee, who was not asked by the school district about the disclosure, says there is a lot of need for Indigenous representation among support workers alone. 

“One of the [Indigenous support workers] might have three schools, but something happened with one of the children at a different school that they’re not at that day, and they can’t get a hold of them to help,” she says, adding that she has shared this issue with the school board.

As for hiring staff overall, she believes it’s a positive step, as there can be some sensitivity issues best handled by someone of Indigenous heritage. “A lot of teachers wouldn’t teach [an Indigenous topic] because they didn’t know enough,” says Larabee, who notes that some concepts or learning outcomes might be taught the wrong way. One example might be crafting totem poles, but using the wrong kinds of materials, which could take away from the importance of a totem pole in Indigenous culture. 

More Indigenous identification happening: HR expert

Debby Carreau of Inspired HR says she’s pleased to see this exercise becoming more common in the workplace. While she doesn’t have specific data, anecdotally she says it’s still uncommon for employers to ask candidates to voluntarily disclose whether they are part of equity seeking groups. In her experiences, education tends to be a leader. 

“Education is one of the sectors [where] we see many job seekers comfortable and proud to disclose a First Nations, Metis or Inuit heritage,” she tells New West Anchor via email, adding that the disclosure usually goes into a cover letter; if there’s an option in application forms, it is disclosed there. “This is less common in other private sector opportunities, but it is gaining popularity.”

Carreau adds employers welcoming applicants to disclose is not the only thing they can do. A statement of inclusive hiring practices in job postings, for instance, can go a long way. “However, even more important is to incorporate diversity into your organization’s employment branding,” she explains, adding that testimonials from people working in the field are also incredibly valuable. 

The school district is required to report its Indigenous hiring progress to the Human Rights Commission every year for the next three years.