03/09/2026
We were honoured to welcome Randall Kekoa Akee, Professor of Indigenous Governance and Development at the Harvard Kennedy School, to deliver the 2026 Ting BMO Public Lecture at Simon Fraser University’s Vancouver campus on February 25. The lecture was followed by an engaging Q&A moderated by Krishna Pendakur, Associate Chair of SFU’s Department of Economics.
Thank you to everyone who joined us for this thoughtful evening of learning and reflection.
🎥 A recording of the talk is now available: https://lnkd.in/gk6hGd4d
Professor Akee shared research analyzing large datasets from the U.S. Census to examine disparities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people across measures such as education, earnings, mortality, and health outcomes. His work highlights persistent gaps in outcomes and access to opportunity—while also showing how targeted policies can improve long-term outcomes.
As he noted during the talk: “Poverty is a policy choice.”
He discussed examples of programs that have made a measurable difference for Indigenous children, including income support initiatives, sanitation programs, and university tuition waivers.
We are grateful to our sponsors, the David and Cecilia Ting Foundation and BMO, for their support in making this event possible.
