As part of Cambrian College’s commitment to truth and reconciliation, we have removed the word “stakeholder” from our institutional and academic policies. The College has compiled a list of alternatives to the word “stakeholder” that you can use.
The word stakeholder has a negative connotation and history for many Indigenous peoples. It was a term used to describe the non-Indigenous person who had the responsibility and authority to determine who received Crown land, including Indigenous people. The term is a reminder of the loss of autonomy and self-determination.
Faculty are actively working to remove this term from course materials. However, it may still appear in external sources such as textbooks, websites, and in other media.
To support transparency and understanding, we encourage faculty to include a note in their course syllabus or Moodle page when external resources use the term stakeholder. Here are example messages you can add or adapt for your course syllabus or Moodle shell.
A Note on the Term “Stakeholder”
At Cambrian College, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and respectful learning environment. As part of this commitment, we encourage the use of language that reflects our values of equity, diversity, and inclusion. You may notice that some course materials (such as textbooks, articles, or online resources) use the term stakeholder. At Cambrian, we avoid this term because it carries colonial and traumatic connotations for many Indigenous peoples. Instead, we use alternatives such as collaborators, community members, interested parties, or partners, depending on the context.
If you come across the term stakeholder in your readings, please understand that while it may still appear in some resources, our shared practice at Cambrian is to use more inclusive language that better aligns with our values and our commitments to Truth and Reconciliation.
A Note on the Term “Stakeholder” (Short Version)
At Cambrian, we avoid using the term stakeholder because it can have colonial and harmful connotations. While you may still see this term in some external course materials, we will instead use words like collaborators, community members, partners, or interested parties to reflect our commitment to inclusive and respectful language.