Osgoode certificate helps researcher keep the dialogue going on Consultation with Indigenous Peoples

When Ryan Fleming first heard about the Osgoode Certificate in Consultation (and beyond) with Indigenous Peoples, he thought the program must have been tailor-made for him.

The Indigenous researcher was wrapping up work on his master’s thesis when he came across an ad for the programs scrolling through his social media feeds. Its promise to explore old and new challenges in consultation seemed like an echo of his own research examining the modernization of Treaty 9, also known as the James Bay Treaty.

“You can imagine how it piqued my interest, not only because of my academic expertise and my own lived experience, but also because it’s a type of learning opportunity you don’t see much anywhere,” Fleming says.

One of the first things to grab Fleming’s attention was the impressive list of policy professionals, legal practitioners and academics among the program’s faculty and speakers and he says they lived up to his high expectations.  

“These are people who were very familiar to me from the literature, and now here they were in front of me, telling me about their experiences and answering my questions about specific gaps in the literature,” Fleming says. “It opened an opportunity to have a dialogue with a wide range of Indigenous and non-Indigenous professionals in this area, which is still very much in its infancy.”

“It was almost shocking what the certificate program was able to accomplish in just six weeks,” he adds.

Fleming has deep roots in the area covered by Treaty 9 – as well as his membership with Attawapiskat First Nation, he grew up on a Moose Cree First Nation reserve in Moose Factory, Ont. near the shore of James Bay.

However, he says his younger self would be surprised by his progression in academia, since for much of his youth, Fleming’s focus was on recreation and leisure. A turning point came when he moved to Toronto to boost his credentials in that field with a diploma course at Humber College.

“Prior to that, higher education had felt like unfamiliar territory, but that was the point when I realized how accessible it was,” Fleming says.

In the subsequent years, Fleming has fully embraced the academic world, earning a BA from York University, where he double majored in Human Rights & Equity Studies and Political Science. After graduating, he stayed on at York, completing an MA in Political Science.

This fall, Fleming enrolled in a PhD program at the University of Toronto, where he plans to combine his research on treaty modernization and Indigenous governance with studies towards a law degree.

In addition, he has spent time in policy positions with federal government agencies, where he worked directly on complex Indigenous governance issues, including litigation management and specific claims to resource justice and co-governance frameworks. Fleming says the nature of both his academic and policy work helps maintain a connection to home.

“Having to leave one’s own community is not ideal. Moving away to a settler-dominated space was very daunting and I have experienced the racism and differences that we all witness as part of a minority population,” Fleming says. “Through these processes, I’ve ended up discovering that I can really make a substantial contribution.”

“I don’t feel as though I have reached the ceiling of what I’m capable of. I want to be someone who can give back in many ways, so I don’t foresee myself doing just one thing,” he adds.

Wherever his career takes him next, Fleming says Osgoode’s certificate program has strengthened his vision for a consultation process that goes beyond performative gestures, in favour of rights-based engagement that centres Indigenous law.

“The course bridged theory and practice uniquely well. It combined rigorous academic discussion and practical perspectives of Indigenous law and governance, with insights from professionals who actually handle negotiations on the ground,” Fleming says. “Overall, it has solidified my academic and policy expertise and strengthened my ability to advocate effectively in policy circles.”

The interactive program, which next takes place over six full-day modules between March and May 2026, is designed to follow on from Osgoode’s Certificate in Fundamentals of Indigenous Peoples and Canadian Law. Although not a formal pre-requisite for admission to the advanced Certificate in Consultation, Fleming says he would recommend the introductory course for both legal and non-legal professionals who are newcomers to the area of Indigenous governance, consultation or negotiation.

Either way, he says enrollees should prepare for an “intensive” experience.  

“It’s a lot of work and a lot of high-level knowledge, but it is offered in a way that is accessible to a diverse set of people,” Fleming says. “One of the things I appreciated was the amount of space left for dialogue between participants. There were many eager voices in my cycle and I think we all got a lot out of those discussions.”