Science and Research committee  Once again, this idea of integrating may have a broader meaning in the context of this House of Commons committee. The idea isn't to start off with science as the main dish and to add an ingredient that comes from indigenous sciences, indigenous knowledge and indigenous knowledge systems.

Science and Research committee  As I briefly mentioned earlier, the idea isn't to reject science or indigenous knowledge, but rather to give each knowledge system an equal chance. That can be achieved by working together to build knowledge and through working meetings, for example. The idea is to find connections between science and indigenous knowledge.

Science and Research committee  I really like your question. It gives me a chance to repeat that the Dialog network has created spaces where it's possible to come together, and it continues to do so. We don't aim to change science completely, just as we don't aim to change knowledge systems completely, but we can create meeting spaces where we can find common denominators.

Science and Research committee  You're raising an extremely complex issue, and I don't think I can give you an answer. I would say that science has developed over hundreds, even thousands, of years from elements that have constituted the modern sciences. The same is true in the indigenous context. There isn't one science, but rather many sciences.

Science and Research committee  No, just as there isn't an exclusively universal definition of scientific knowledge. The social sciences, the humanities, which generate meaning, the physical sciences, the natural sciences and the technological sciences are based on cumulative knowledge and can thus support universal claims.

Science and Research committee  I would say that indigenous knowledge isn't merely qualitative in nature. Some indigenous knowledge is highly standardized and yields results that could be characterized as quantitative. The idea that indigenous knowledge is merely qualitative is a preconceived notion. There are standards and ways of doing things.

Science and Research committee  Thank you for your question. We're actually seeing results in the examples just cited a moment ago. In our work, and in ongoing joint building efforts, we have managed to show that the integration theme doesn't enable us to achieve the objectives that we share with our non-indigenous colleagues.

Science and Research committee  Picking up on what my colleague just said, if you stopped referring to integration and referred instead to recognizing knowledge systems, how they are learned and what indigenous peoples, groups and bodies put in place, you'd then be able to create spaces where Canadian and indigenous societies could connect.

Science and Research committee  Yes, we've established projects with Quebec Anishinabe and Innu communities. Those projects have had an impact on teaching and on the primary and secondary curriculum, for example, and have concerned the transmission of knowledge to young generations. As I said earlier in my remarks, those projects concern issues that are just as sensitive as homelessness.

Science and Research committee  So we're talking—

Science and Research committee  Is that better?

Science and Research committee  All right. Thank you.

Science and Research committee  People immediately assume that homelessness is the same for everyone. They don't think clearly enough about the various types of homelessness experienced by indigenous persons. Taking a closer look at it, you realize that the pathways of homeless indigenous persons are different enough to require specific solutions that reflect the common practices and the ways in which people are socialized in the indigenous world.

Science and Research committee  Good morning. I'm happy to be here today. As you just heard, my name is Carole Lévesque. I am an anthropologist and have mainly worked with Quebec's indigenous communities and governing bodies for more than 50 years. Throughout my long career, it has been my privilege to work together with indigenous leaders and knowledge-keepers and to explore numerous societal issues such as health, education, the status of women, the environment, urban realities and public policies targeting indigenous populations.