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Dr. Fred Wien, Dalhousie Professor Emeritus and former Director of the School of Social Work, was recently appointed a Member of the Order of Canada for his work on behalf of First Nations communities in Atlantic Canada.  Dr. Wien says he was “quite surprised” when the Governor General’s Office called to tell him about the appointment.

“The people who nominated me didn’t say a peep!  Actually I thought at first there had been a clerical error and they had me confused with someone else because I was working with the Governor General’s Office on another matter,” Wien says, adding modestly that he was pleased to get the call.

Dr. Wien’s research and advocacy over four decades, including a leadership role with the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, has supported First Nations and their journey to increased independence.  For Wien it all began when he joined Dalhousie’s Institute for Public Affairs in 1973 and began doing research into low income employment in the Maritimes, which took him into Mi’kmaq communities in Nova Scotia.

Wien’s research was ground-breaking, but he says some chiefs were uncomfortable with the data being released, being more accustomed to research being used against them rather that on their behalf.  A few years later, Wien had persuaded the chiefs of the value of his research.  “They came back to me and asked me to do more.” After that, Wien was the main contact between Dalhousie and Mi’kmaq communities for many years. His research has contributed to laying the foundation for vital social and business organizations, which he feels has been his most significant contribution.

Forging connections with Mi'k maq commmunities

“Our School’s Mi’kmaq BSW contributed to the formation of Mi’kmaw Family and Children’s Services, while a joint project between Dalhousie and the Union of Nova Scotia Indians laid the groundwork for the Ulnooweg Development Group which provides loans and other services to Aboriginal businesses.  Over the years there has been a lot of growth in organizations that support Mi’k maq communities, which is great to see,” says Wien, who recalls a time when there were only two such organizations in the province.

Wien will attend the Order of Canada ceremony later this year.  Although honoured, he says one of the greatest rewards has been seeing many of the Indigenous students he mentored becoming researchers and professors themselves.

“There’s been a transition from externally-driven and exploitive types of research to more collaborative, community-driven research.”  

As the Order of Canada highlights, a large part of that change has come about because of Wien’s own research, the First Nation organizations he helped build, and the Indigenous students he encouraged. He notes there are now 6 working as professors and researchers at Dalhousie.