Former CBC Reporter and Current Faculty Lecturer and Executive-in-Residence, Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy

Merelda Fiddler-Potter is a former journalist and documentary filmmaker, who spent 16 years working for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation [CBC] in radio, television, and online. Merelda has a Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy, a Master of Arts in Canadian Plains Studies, and a Bachelor of Journalism and Communications from the University of Regina.  Awarded a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship in 2019, her research explores the media’s role in helping Canadians learn the truth of our colonial policies, the impact it has on Indigenous people, and how the media can keep Indigenous issues high on the public agenda.

Merelda has also worked as a sessional lecturer at the First Nations University of Canada, where she teaches in Indigenous Studies, Communication Arts, Indigenous Business, and the Reconciliation Certificate for over 15 years. From 2017-2018, she was also the Dallas W. Smythe Chair at the U of R School of Journalism. As a Métis woman committed to creating space in all institutions for Indigenous peoples, Merelda consults various organizations looking to learn about, create, and implement strategies to achieve Indigenous Reconciliation.