Thursday, June 11th
10:30 am to 12 pm
Activity open to individuals registered for the Forum.
The importance of equipping our First Nation with a framework for research partnerships.
Heidie Vachon
Heidie Vachon is the Assistant Director of Educational Services and Research and Development at Innu Takuaikan Uashat mak Mani-utenam (ITUM). For more than 20 years, she has dedicated herself to the development and education of Innu students. Her career reflects a wide range of experience in education. She has worked as a youth activity leader, early childhood educator, and teacher. She describes herself as a product of Johnny Pilot elementary school, where she later spent most of her career teaching before serving as its principal for six years.
A graduate of Cégep de Sept-Îles in early childhood education, she also holds a certificate in psychosocial intervention from Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières and a Bachelor of Arts from Université du Québec à Chicoutimi. She has also completed a graduate diploma (DESS) in educational management.
Her resilience, determination, and compassion make her a committed and inspiring professional in the field of Indigenous education.
Isabelle Lalancette
Isabelle Lalancette, a member of the Pekuakamiulnuatsh First Nation from the Innu community of Lac-Saint-Jean, holds a master’s degree in education and has extensive experience in organizational development and strategic analysis. As a development advisor at Pekuakamiulnuatsh Takuhikan, she provides professional support to decisionmaking bodies and contributes to strengthening organizational performance by integrating the political, cultural, and territorial perspectives unique to the Innu Nation. As the head of the Research Section, she coordinates university partnerships, oversees major projects, and plays an active role in producing and disseminating knowledge that supports informed and sustainable governance.
Patricia Montambault
Patricia holds a master’s degree in anthropology from Université Laval and has been working with the FNQLHSSC since 2008. For over fifteen years, she has led and collaborated on a range of evaluation and research projects. She contributed to the 2014 update of the First Nations in Quebec and Labrador’s Research Protocol and is currently coordinating work toward publication of the third version of the AFNQL Research Protocol. Since February 2025, Patricia has been serving in a personal capacity on UQAT’s Research Ethics Board for a three-year term.
