Chairs

The Chair in Indigenous Governance (opens in new window)  is supported by Toronto Metropolitan University as part of its commitment to Indigenous education, diversity and social justice. The mandate of the Chair is to conduct research and scholarship in relation to Indigenous law, governance and politics in a First Nation context. This includes, but is not limited to, topic areas such as: Indigenous laws and legal traditions; traditional forms of Indigenous governance; current laws and policies impacting Indigenous peoples and Nations; public administration in First Nations; Indigenous leadership and political structures; Indigenous citizenship and communal relations; and comparative governance research with international Indigenous peoples/Nations.

The Jarislowsky Democracy Chair was created in 2018 thanks to a generous donation from the Jarislowsky Foundation. See announcement here (opens in new window) .

The Chair will bring thought leadership and public profile to pressing issues around democracy through such means as hosting public panels in partnership with community leaders and organizations that focus on citizen engagement; and by initiating and leading collaborations to analyse high-functioning democratic models as the basis of potential reforms to have an impact on society - locally, nationally and globally.

The mandate of the Unifor National Chair in Social Justice and Democracy — the first union-endowed chair at a Canadian university — is to create a hub of interaction between social justice activists and academics at TorontoMet. Labour rights and activist Kiké Roach currently holds this Chair.