# Mary Jane McCallum

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{{Short description|Canadian Senator and dentist}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix = [The Honourable](/source/The_Honourable)
| name             = Mary Jane McCallum
| image            = Mary Jane McCallum 2023.jpg
| alt              = Mary Jane McCallum in 2023
| caption          = Mary Jane McCallum in 2023
| birth_date       = {{birth date and age|1952|5|1}}
| birth_place      = [Barren Lands First Nation](/source/Barren_Lands_First_Nation), [Brochet, Manitoba](/source/Brochet%2C_Manitoba), Canada
| alma_mater       = [University of Manitoba](/source/University_of_Manitoba) ([DMD](/source/Doctor_of_Dental_Medicine))
| occupation       = Dentist
| office           = 8th Chancellor of [Brandon University](/source/Brandon_University)
| 1blankname       = President
| 1namedata        = [David Docherty](/source/David_Docherty)
| term_start       = {{start date|2021|07|01}}
| term_end         =
| office2          = [Canadian Senator](/source/Senate_of_Canada) <br> from [Manitoba](/source/Manitoba)
| nominator2       = [Justin Trudeau](/source/Justin_Trudeau)
| appointer2       = [Julie Payette](/source/Julie_Payette)
| predecessor2     = [Janis Johnson](/source/Janis_Johnson)
| term_start2      = {{start date|2017|12|04}}
| term_end2        = <!-- {{end date|2027|05|01}} -->
| party            = [Conservative](/source/Conservative_Party_of_Canada) (2025-present)
| other_party      = [Non-affiliated](/source/Independent_politician) (2022-2025)<br />[Independent Senators Group](/source/Independent_Senators_Group) (2018-2022) 
}}

'''Mary Jane McCallum''' (born May 1, 1952)<ref name="pm.gc.ca_appointment" /><ref name="SenCanada_interventions" /> is a Canadian Senator representing Manitoba, appointed in 2017.<ref name="pm.gc.ca_appointment" /> She is the 8th Chancellor of [Brandon University](/source/Brandon_University), a role she assumed in 2021, making her the first Indigenous woman to hold that post.<ref name="pm.gc.ca_appointment" /><ref name="BrandonU_chancellor" /><ref name="CBCNews_chancellor" /> A [Cree](/source/Cree) woman, and a dentist by profession, McCallum has worked to provide dental and medical services to northern and Indigenous communities across Manitoba and Saskatchewan.<ref name="pm.gc.ca_appointment" /><ref name="BrandonU_chancellor" /> As a survivor of the Canadian [residential school system](/source/residential_school_system), she advocates for social justice, Indigenous rights, and decolonization, sharing her personal experiences to foster awareness and understanding.<ref name="BrandonU_chancellor" /><ref name="SenatorMcCallum_website" /><ref name="RadyFHS_healing" />

==Early life and education==
McCallum was born on May 1, 1952.<ref name="pm.gc.ca_appointment" /><ref name="SenCanada_interventions" /> She is a citizen of the [Barren Lands First Nation](/source/Barren_Lands_First_Nation) in [Brochet, Manitoba](/source/Brochet%2C_Manitoba), and identifies as a Cree woman.<ref name="CTVNews_residential" /><ref name="BrandonU_chancellor" /><ref name="RadyFHS_healing" /><ref name="SenCanada_tyrant" />

At age five, she was sent to the [Guy Hill Indian Residential School](/source/Guy_Hill_Indian_Residential_School) in [The Pas, Manitoba](/source/The_Pas%2C_Manitoba), where she remained for 11 years.<ref name="CTVNews_residential" /><ref name="BrandonU_chancellor" /><ref name="SenCanada_tyrant" /> She has described this period as traumatic, stating that her identity was reshaped around “shame, dependence, blind obedience and fear.”<ref name="SenatorMcCallum_website" /> Before entering residential school, she described herself as “solid,” having grown up on her community’s trapline and fish camp, where she received a land-based education that grounded her in connection, spirituality, and purpose.<ref name="SenatorMcCallum_website" /> She recalls winning first prize in a religion class for a description of hell, an experience that instilled a lasting fear.<ref name="SenatorMcCallum_website" />

McCallum has spoken about internalizing colonial beliefs promoted by figures such as [John A. Macdonald](/source/John_A._Macdonald), describing how she came to view Indigenous peoples as “savages; less than human” and how she worked to unlearn those messages.<ref name="SenatorMcCallum_website" /> She has stated that she is “still on my reconciliation journey towards that child who first entered residential school,” and that the trauma has affected her children and grandchildren.<ref name="SenatorMcCallum_website" /> She has described residential schools as institutions that “shattered the meaning of our lives and left death, disorder, disconnection and disempowerment.”<ref name="SenatorMcCallum_website" />

After leaving residential school, McCallum pursued post-secondary education in dentistry. She received a Dental Nursing Diploma from the [Wascana Institute of Applied Arts and Sciences](/source/Saskatchewan_Polytechnic) in [Regina, Saskatchewan](/source/Regina%2C_Saskatchewan), in 1977,<ref name="pm.gc.ca_appointment" /><ref name="SenCanada_interventions" /> followed by a dental therapy diploma from the [School of Dental Therapy](/source/First_Nations_University_of_Canada) in 1979.<ref name="pm.gc.ca_appointment" /><ref name="SenCanada_interventions" /> She completed a Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) degree at the [University of Manitoba](/source/University_of_Manitoba) in 1990.<ref name="pm.gc.ca_appointment" /><ref name="RadyFHS_healing" />

==Dental and health career==
McCallum earned her Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) in 1990, becoming Canada’s first female Indigenous dentist.<ref name="RadyFHS_healing" />

===Early career and shift in practice===
* Practised for more than a decade using what she described as a “rigid, Westernized approach” focused on completing oral treatment plans.<ref name="RadyFHS_healing" />
* Determined that clinical treatment alone was not improving oral health outcomes in First Nations communities.<ref name="RadyFHS_healing" />
* Linked ongoing oral disease to “mental and spiritual pain, rooted in racism, trauma and loss inflicted by colonization”.<ref name="RadyFHS_healing" />
* Shifted to a holistic, patient-centred model informed by traditional teachings, focusing on each person’s goals for their own care.<ref name="RadyFHS_healing" />

===Work in northern and Indigenous communities===
* Provided dental and health services in northern Manitoba and Saskatchewan from 1979 to 1997, including as a dental therapist in remote communities.<ref name="CTVNews_residential" /><ref name="BrandonU_chancellor" />
* Served as an assistant professor at the University of Manitoba; managed a dental clinic in Churchill and supervised students during clinical practicum placements.<ref name="CTVNews_residential" /><ref name="BrandonU_chancellor" />
* Completed an interchange with the [Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs](/source/Assembly_of_Manitoba_Chiefs) as Regional Dental Officer for Manitoba (1996–2000).<ref name="CTVNews_residential" /><ref name="BrandonU_chancellor" />
* Worked in [Brochet](/source/Barren_Lands_First_Nation) during two terms (1992–1996; 2003–2010), managing community programs in children’s dental health, diabetes and prenatal care.<ref name="CTVNews_residential" /><ref name="BrandonU_chancellor" />
* Volunteered on local housing, school and education committees, and organised monthly meetings with Elders to discuss community social issues.<ref name="CTVNews_residential" /><ref name="BrandonU_chancellor" />
* Contracted with the federal First Nations and Inuit Health Branch to provide services in northern Manitoba.<ref name="CTVNews_residential" /><ref name="BrandonU_chancellor" />
* Returned to the University of Manitoba in April 2002 to lead Aboriginal Dental Health Programs.<ref name="CTVNews_residential" /><ref name="BrandonU_chancellor" />

===Advocacy and public health===
* Became increasingly active as a community organiser and social-justice advocate.<ref name="RadyFHS_healing" />
* Argued that cavity-prevention programs are ineffective when basic needs such as “safety, warmth and food” are unmet.<ref name="RadyFHS_healing" />
* Advocated for addressing the social determinants of health—including housing, employment and education—to improve outcomes for First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities.<ref name="RadyFHS_healing" />
* Called for “decolonising frameworks like the health-care system and reclaiming traditional teachings”.<ref name="RadyFHS_healing" />
* Emphasised that Indigenous communities “have their own solutions” and must be supported in implementing them.<ref name="RadyFHS_healing" />

===Retirement===
* Retired from active dentistry in April 2021.
* Remains a non-practising member of the [Manitoba Dental Association](/source/Canadian_Dental_Association).<ref name="CTVNews_residential" /><ref name="BrandonU_renewal" />

===Chronology of major appointments and roles===
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Role/Position
! Organisation/Institution
! Key detail/Significance
|-
| 1977
| Dental Nursing Diploma
| Wascana Institute of Applied Arts and Sciences (now [Saskatchewan Polytechnic](/source/Saskatchewan_Polytechnic))
|
|-
| 1979
| Dental Therapy Diploma
| School of Dental Therapy (now part of the [First Nations University of Canada](/source/First_Nations_University_of_Canada))
|
|-
| 1979–1997
| Dental Therapist
| Northern communities in Saskatchewan and Manitoba
|
|-
| 1990
| Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD)
| [University of Manitoba](/source/University_of_Manitoba)
| First female Indigenous dentist in Canada<ref name="RadyFHS_healing" />
|-
| 1992–1996
| Community Health Programs Manager
| [Brochet](/source/Barren_Lands_First_Nation)
| First term
|-
| 1996–2000
| Regional Dental Officer
| [Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs](/source/Assembly_of_Manitoba_Chiefs)
|
|-
| April 2002
| Lead, Aboriginal Dental Health Programs
| [University of Manitoba](/source/University_of_Manitoba)
|
|-
| 2003–2010
| Community Health Programs Manager
| [Brochet](/source/Barren_Lands_First_Nation)
| Second term
|-
| 4 December 2017
| Senator from Manitoba
| [Senate of Canada](/source/Senate_of_Canada)
| Appointed by [Justin Trudeau](/source/Justin_Trudeau)<ref name="pm.gc.ca_appointment" />
|-
| April 2021
| Retired from active practice
|
| Remains non-practising member of the [Manitoba Dental Association](/source/Canadian_Dental_Association)<ref name="CTVNews_residential" /><ref name="BrandonU_renewal" />
|-
| 6 May 2021
| 8th Chancellor
| [Brandon University](/source/Brandon_University)
| First Indigenous woman and first female Chancellor<ref name="pm.gc.ca_appointment" /><ref name="CTVNews_residential" /><ref name="BrandonU_renewal" />
|-
| 30 January 2024
| Renewed for second term as Chancellor
| [Brandon University](/source/Brandon_University)
|
|}

==Senate career==
McCallum was appointed to the [Senate of Canada](/source/Senate_of_Canada) by Prime Minister [Justin Trudeau](/source/Justin_Trudeau) on 4 December 2017.<ref name="pm.gc.ca_appointment" /> She initially sat with the [Independent Senators Group](/source/Independent_Senators_Group) (2018–2022), later sat as a non-affiliated senator,<ref name="pm.gc.ca_appointment" /><ref name="CTVNews_residential" /> and subsequently joined the [Conservative](/source/Conservative_Party_of_Canada) caucus. She has served on the [Standing Senate Committee on Indigenous Peoples](/source/Standing_Senate_Committee_on_Indigenous_Peoples).<ref name="RadyFHS_healing" />

McCallum frequently uses her platform in the Senate to highlight Indigenous experiences, share survivor testimony, and address systemic injustices in Canada. Selected interventions include:
* '''26 September 2024:''' Delivered a tribute to Grand Chief [Cathy Merrick](/source/Cathy_Merrick) on behalf of the [Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs](/source/Assembly_of_Manitoba_Chiefs).<ref name="SenCanada_interventions" />
* '''6 June 2024:''' Paid tribute to Senator [Victor Oh](/source/Victor_Oh), drawing parallels between the historical discrimination faced by [Chinese Canadians](/source/Chinese_Canadians) and the ongoing struggles of First Nations.<ref name="SenCanada_interventions" />
* '''31 October 2023:''' Extended a tribute to members of the [Bangsamoro](/source/Bangsamoro) Transition Authority from the southern Philippines.<ref name="SenCanada_interventions" />
* '''3 October 2023:''' Shared an excerpt from her speech, “A Life in Retrospect: Examining the Seven Generations of My Lived Experience,” focusing on her early childhood before [residential school](/source/Canadian_Indian_residential_school_system).<ref name="SenCanada_interventions" />
* '''26 September 2023:''' Paid tribute to “grassroots people,” emphasizing resilience and community strength.<ref name="SenCanada_interventions" />
* '''20 June 2023:''' Spoke on “Guy Hill Residential School Search and Resurgence as First Nations Sovereign Peoples,” reflecting on the formation of “families and lifelong friends” among residential school children.<ref name="SenCanada_interventions" />
* '''14 December 2022:''' Collaborated with the Indigenous Women’s Collective to address “Indigenous Identity Fraud”.<ref name="SenCanada_interventions" />

McCallum has spoken publicly about experiencing racism on the Senate floor.<ref name="SenCanada_tyrant" /> She challenges residential school denialism, advocates for recognition of oppression and privilege, and calls for dismantling systemic racism, discrimination and violence rooted in the residential school system and its ongoing impacts.<ref name="SenCanada_tyrant" /> She has stated that she carries “all those voices with me when I go into the Senate Chamber”<ref name="RadyFHS_healing" /> and that her aim is to “bring voice to First Nations concerns”.<ref name="SenatorMcCallum_website" />

==Chancellor of Brandon University==
On 6 May 2021, McCallum was appointed the 8th Chancellor of [Brandon University](/source/Brandon_University).<ref name="pm.gc.ca_appointment" /><ref name="CTVNews_residential" /> She became both the first Indigenous woman and the first female Chancellor in the university’s history.<ref name="CTVNews_residential" /><ref name="BrandonU_renewal" /> Her initial term began on 1 July 2021.<ref name="pm.gc.ca_appointment" /> The Brandon University Senate renewed her chancellorship for a second term on 30 January 2024.<ref name="BrandonU_renewal" />

The role of Chancellor includes:
* Serving as the [ceremonial head](/source/Chancellor) of Brandon University<ref name="CTVNews_residential" />
* Advising and supporting the University President<ref name="CTVNews_residential" />
* Membership on both the [Board of Governors](/source/Board_of_governors) and the University Senate<ref name="CTVNews_residential" />
* Providing leadership in fundraising and cultivating relations with donors<ref name="CTVNews_residential" />
* Presiding over Convocation ceremonies and conferring degrees<ref name="CTVNews_residential" />
* Representing the University at official events and ceremonial functions<ref name="CTVNews_residential" />
* Serving as an ambassador for the University, promoting its mission and values<ref name="CTVNews_residential" />

Upon her reappointment, Brandon University President Dr. David Docherty highlighted her “thoughtful guidance, her care, and her keen insight,” noting that her leadership “continues to inspire students, faculty, staff, and community supporters”.<ref name="BrandonU_renewal" />

McCallum has described her work as Chancellor as a “good journey” with the University’s students, faculty, and community.<ref name="BrandonU_renewal" />

==Advocacy and public engagement==
McCallum is active in public education on the history and ongoing impacts of the [Canadian Indian residential school system](/source/Canadian_Indian_residential_school_system).<ref name="CTVNews_residential" /><ref name="BrandonU_chancellor" /><ref name="BrandonU_renewal" /> She delivers workshops and presentations in which she shares her experience as a residential school survivor to foster understanding and awareness.<ref name="CTVNews_residential" /><ref name="BrandonU_chancellor" /><ref name="BrandonU_renewal" /> Her writing on the subject includes the chapter “Bless Me Father for I Have Sinned,” published in ''First Lady Nation, Volume II: Stories by Aboriginal Women''.<ref name="SenatorMcCallum_website" />

Her advocacy focuses on social justice, Indigenous rights, and decolonization.<ref name="BrandonU_chancellor" /><ref name="SenCanada_interventions" /> Drawing on her professional work in northern and remote communities, she has emphasized the role of systemic racism and colonial policies in shaping health outcomes for Indigenous peoples.<ref name="RadyFHS_healing" /> She argues that improving health requires addressing the [social determinants of health](/source/social_determinants_of_health) and decolonizing institutions such as the health-care system.<ref name="RadyFHS_healing" /> A central principle of her approach is supporting Indigenous communities to define and implement their own solutions.<ref name="RadyFHS_healing" />

Through public statements and interventions in the [Senate of Canada](/source/Senate_of_Canada), McCallum has spoken on issues including racism, discrimination, and the ongoing impacts of colonialism on First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples.<ref name="SenCanada_interventions" /><ref name="SenCanada_tyrant" />

==Personal life==
Mary Jane McCallum is married, and has two daughters and a son.<ref name="CTVNews_residential" /><ref name="BrandonU_chancellor" /><ref name="BrandonU_renewal" />

==References==
{{reflist|
<ref name="pm.gc.ca_appointment">{{cite web |url=https://pm.gc.ca/eng/news/2017/12/04/prime-minister-announces-appointment-two-new-senators |title=Prime Minister announces the appointment of two new Senators |publisher=Prime Minister's Office |date=December 4, 2017 |access-date=2017-12-04}}</ref>
<ref name="CTVNews_residential">{{cite news |last=Cousins |first=Ben |date=June 1, 2021 |title='Our hearts are broken': Sen. McCallum delivers gut-wrenching speech on residential schools |work=CTV News |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/our-hearts-are-broken-sen-mccallum-delivers-gut-wrenching-speech-on-residential-schools-1.5452140 |access-date=2021-06-01}}{{dead link|date=July 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
<ref name="BrandonU_chancellor">{{cite web |url=https://www.brandonu.ca/senate-office/membership/bu-chancellor/ |title=BU Chancellor |publisher=Brandon University |access-date=2024-10-26}}</ref>
<ref name="SenatorMcCallum_website">{{cite web |url=https://maryjanemccallum.ca/ |title=Home |publisher=Senator Mary Jane McCallum |access-date=2024-10-26}}</ref>
<ref name="RadyFHS_healing">{{cite web |url=https://news.radyfhs.umanitoba.ca/a-voice-for-healing/ |title=A Voice for Healing |publisher=Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba |date=January 10, 2019 |access-date=2024-10-26}}</ref>
<ref name="SenCanada_tyrant">{{cite web |url=https://sencanada.ca/en/sencaplus/opinion/when-the-tyrant-is-in-the-house-senator-mccallum/ |title=When the tyrant is in the house: Senator McCallum |publisher=Senate of Canada |access-date=2024-10-26}}</ref>
<ref name="SenCanada_interventions">{{cite web |url=https://sencanada.ca/en/senators/mccallum-mary-jane/interventions/ |title=Statements |publisher=Senate of Canada |access-date=2024-10-26}}</ref>
<ref name="GlobalNews_appointment">{{cite news |title=Trudeau appoints Mary Coyle, Mary Jane McCallum to Senate |work=Global News |date=December 4, 2017 |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/3900388/trudeau-appoints-mary-coyle-mary-jane-mccallum-to-senate/ |access-date=2024-10-26}}</ref>
<ref name="CBCNews_chancellor">{{cite news |title=Sen. Mary Jane McCallum becomes 1st Indigenous woman chancellor of Brandon University |work=CBC News |date=May 6, 2021 |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/mary-jane-mccallum-brandon-university-chancellor-1.6017424 |access-date=2024-10-26}}</ref>
<ref name="BrandonU_renewal">{{cite web |url=https://news.brandonu.ca/2024/01/30/brandon-university-welcomes-renewal-of-chancellor-mary-jane-mccallum/ |title=Brandon University welcomes renewal of Chancellor Mary Jane McCallum |publisher=Brandon University News |date=January 30, 2024 |access-date=2024-10-26}}</ref>
}}

==External links==
* [https://maryjanemccallum.ca/ Official website]
* [https://sencanada.ca/en/senators/mccallum-mary-jane/ Senate of Canada biography]
* [https://www.brandonu.ca/senate-office/membership/bu-chancellor/ Brandon University Chancellor profile]

{{Senate of Canada}}

Category:1952 births
Category:Living people
Category:Cree people
Category:Cree politicians
Category:Cree women
Category:Indigenous Canadian senators
Category:Independent Senators Group
Category:Conservative Party of Canada senators
Category:Independent Canadian senators
Category:Canadian senators from Manitoba
Category:Women members of the Senate of Canada
Category:21st-century members of the Senate of Canada
Category:21st-century Canadian women politicians
Category:21st-century First Nations people
Category:21st-century First Nations women
Category:21st-century Indigenous leaders in the Americas
Category:20th-century Canadian dentists
Category:21st-century Canadian dentists
Category:Academic staff of the University of Manitoba
Category:University of Manitoba alumni
Category:Chancellors of Brandon University
Category:Women dentists

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Mary Jane McCallum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Jane_McCallum) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Jane_McCallum?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.