A commitment to serving Métis people and communities

Acclaimed Métis poet Rita Bouvier (BEd’75, MEd’84) is reflecting on her time as a University of Saskatchewan (USask) student, and her subsequent career paths as a writer and an educator, as she celebrates 50 years since her first USask graduation.

“I feel blessed,” Bouvier told the Green&White. “It has mostly been an incredible life of learning, working, and living a good life.”

Bouvier, a graduate of USask’s College of Education, earned her Bachelor of Education degree 50 years ago, in 1975, making her one of this year’s Golden Grads. She then went on to receive her Master of Education degree in 1984.

Since then, Bouvier has made significant contributions to public education in Saskatchewan and far beyond, including at the Gabriel Dumont Institute (GDI), which invested her into the Order of Gabriel Dumont earlier this year. Bouvier received the Order of Gabriel Dumont Gold Medal, which recognizes individuals who have distinguished themselves through outstanding service to Métis people and is based on lifetime achievements. 

“I was deeply touched to be nominated and then selected,” Bouvier said of the honour. “Here is what I shared in my response receiving the award: ‘Although I have received a few recognitions for my work in education and writing, this award feels like a true homecoming. dans mon keur ohci, marrsî, kinanâskomitinawow—From my heart, I give thanks to all of you!’ ” 

During her 37 years working in public education, Bouvier held influential leadership roles, including as the director of the Saskatchewan Urban Native Teacher Education Program (SUNTEP), a four-year, fully accredited Bachelor of Education program offered by GDI in partnership with USask’s College of Education and the Ministry of Education. She also served as a senior administrator with the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) and as the coordinator of the Canadian Council on Learning’s Aboriginal Learning Knowledge Centre at USask—a national project that promoted lifelong learning to advance the social, cultural, political, and economic development of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities.

When asked about her career highlights, Bouvier described “a defining moment” that occurred early on in her time as an educator.

“Knees knocking together so hard I could hear them, I found myself in front of my peers—social studies (and) history teachers—to challenge the provincial curriculum and content of what was being taught in classrooms,” she said. “Textbooks were commonplace and so it was easy to point out the racist narratives, inaccuracies, and omissions—and, of course, using my own experience to discuss the effect on learners like me. This landed me a seat on the provincial Social Studies Task Force, examining these very issues.” 

A second career highlight for Bouvier was joining the staff at GDI as the coordinator for SUNTEP in Saskatoon, and shortly thereafter becoming the director of three centres in Prince Albert, Regina, and Saskatoon. While working for GDI, Bouvier became involved in a national dialogue on Indigenous education with leaders across the country. The leaders later formed an organization called Mokakit—which Bouvier noted is a Blackfoot term meaning “to strive for excellence”—that was intended to mobilize and support Indigenous people in conducting their own research on issues affecting their communities.

“In almost all disciplines, First Nations, Métis, and Inuit never seemed to measure up to the standards set outside of our communities, nor was the literature reflective of our aspirations and needs,” Bouvier said. “Our goal was to challenge this thinking. And we were very successful, as this morphed into an international movement five years later—the World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education—which continues to meet every three years, hosted by Indigenous people around the world.”

Another career highlight for Bouvier was working with the STF, where she had the opportunity to influence practice, policy, and legislative changes in education. Bouvier also remembers “with tremendous fondness and humility” the experience of travelling to India to support the STF/Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF) partnership with the All-India Primary Teachers Federation (AIPTF). In addition, with support from the STF, the CTF, and Education International, Bouvier travelled to Geneva twice with colleagues from New Zealand and Australia to present to the working committee seeking to establish a permanent forum on issues affecting Indigenous people, now known as the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII).

“Though my work was mostly administrative leadership in nature throughout my career, I have also had many opportunities to pursue my academic interests and to serve Métis people by being part of various research projects, publications, task forces, making presentations on various stages, and writing essays on Indigenous education,” Bouvier said. “I have also had the good fortune of excellent mentors—people who believed in me, great colleagues, and teammates with shared values and commitments to teaching and learning and readiness to act on a compelling vision for public education and/or for a peaceful, just, equitable, and ecologically sustainable world.”

Outside of her work in education, Bouvier is also known as a highly regarded writer who has authored several poetry collections that explore themes of Métis identity, language, and connection to the land. Bouvier described her fourth book of poetry, 2023’s a beautiful rebellion, as her “take on the ongoing resistance—Idle No More, the latest—that has persisted, and how Indigenous people worldwide have survived and thrived, despite the challenges, because of a deep abiding love for family, community, the land, and life itself in all its forms.”

“I am often responding as witness to the world around me,” Bouvier said of the inspiration for her literary work, which has been translated into Spanish, German, and Cree-Michif—the language of her home community of sakitawak (Île-à-la-Crosse, Sask.), located on the historic trading and meeting grounds of the Cree and Dene Peoples (Treaty 10).   

When reflecting on why she chose to study at USask, Bouvier noted her love for learning. She also acknowledged the support she received from “the wonderful teachers” she had prior to beginning her post-secondary education, when she attended school in Île-à-la-Crosse and at the Institute Notre Dame de la Providence in Prince Albert, Sask.

Bouvier’s family was also a source of encouragement and inspiration on her educational journey.

“Looking back, the greatest teacher, though, was my grandfather, Joseph Bouvier,” she said.

Bouvier continues to have many fond memories from her time as a USask student, including making lifetime friends—"too many to list,” she noted—and meeting the father of her son at the university. For Bouvier, two USask educators stand out as particularly influential: Professor Ed Mahood and Professor Emeritus John Farrell.

“Both had a lifetime effect on my interests and writing—Dr. Mahood’s non-adherence to the status quo and inquisitiveness in philosophical foundations of teaching and learning and Dr. Farrell’s belief that if you wish to become a great teacher of writing (in English), you had to understand the process of writing. To that end, we were required to write and to produce work as a requirement for the class. This was the beginning of my first book of poetry, Blueberry Clouds, published in 1999 by Thistledown Press,” said Bouvier.

“In my latter years at the university, I also ran cross-country,” she added. “Coach Lyle Sanderson instilled my love for cross-country running. In due course I discovered how easy it was to lose myself on a good run and later transform that experience onto the page.”

Though Bouvier did not have any classes with Indigenous educators Dr. Howard Adams or Dr. Cecil King, both men were also influential and supportive of her during and after her studies in the College of Education, and both men became Bouvier’s friends.

Ultimately, Bouvier was inspired to study in the college so she could help to make systemic change and empower Indigenous learners.

“Deep down, I wanted to make a difference and to change the content of what we were being fed in public school about our history, our languages, our cultures, our being,” she said. “Leaving home to attend high school, my grandfather’s greatest worries were that I might be ashamed of where I came from, I would forget the language they had taught me, or worse—that the western education he encouraged me to pursue would cause me to think I was better than others (in my community).” 

When asked about her advice for current students in the College of Education, Bouvier said it’s important to “make the best of your time” at USask.

“University is unique in the breadth and depth of learning it offers. Be open to new ideas and friends. You are here to nurture lifelong learning in your areas of interest and to make friends for life. Seriously. Be the student you want your learners to be—inquisitive, thoughtful, imaginative, and active.”

Now retired from her roles in public education, Bouvier continues to be a mentor and educator, serving as a volunteer with the Saskatchewan Ânskohk Writers Circle Inc., the Indigenous Editors Association, and the League of Canadian Poets. When asked about her advice for other writers, Bouvier said it’s key to “read, write, reflect, dream, and write again.”

“Be open to feedback and rewrite, if need be,” she said. “Immerse yourself in the life around you. Experience matters; pursue a life of work and relationality that is profound. Although cliched, leave this place better than you found it. Surround yourself with others who have similar interests. Be a good friend and colleague. Help out! Yes, write every day if you can. Be kind to yourself.”

Throughout her career, Bouvier has been recognized with awards and honours for her writing as well as her contributions to education, including a national Indspire Award for education in 2014. Bouvier was also recently featured in Saskatchewan Superwomen: Challengers and Champions, a new book written by USask Chancellor Emerita Dr. Vera Pezer (BA’62, MA’64, PhD’77) that shines a light on accomplished Saskatchewan women who have been leaders in a wide variety of fields.

“On reflection, it’s interesting to discover that much of the work I was called upon to do—paid and as volunteer—often did not have a road map to draw upon,” said Bouvier. “But what was constant was being surrounded by some incredible people willing to dream a little and to take risks, and environments that fostered a team approach—people working together to achieve a vision and mandate.”