Learn about hereditary, traditional leadership from Tom Happynook of Huu-ay-ut First Nation. He also speaks to how traditional governance in his community is more democratic than the Canadian election process.
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Understand political Treaty representatives in your area, support the work of the Treaty Commissioner of Saskatchewan.
Read MoreLearn more about who is running in federal, provincial, or municipal elections and support/vote for Indigenous People to be in politics. If there isn’t anyone Indigenous running, support those who support reconciliation.
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Decolonization is as much a process as a goal. Decolonization is a dramatic reimagining of relationships with land, people and the state. Learn about moving beyond the politics of solidarity toward a practice of decolonization in Decolonizing together.
Read MoreWhat is Decolonization? What is Indigenization? And what does it mean to dismantle colonial structures while recreating processes to ensure Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination.
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Research Indigenous place names in your community and learn about the people or trailblazers that they are named in honour of. Make a social media post about what you learn/uncover and share.
Read MoreJody Wilson-Raybould, Jennifer Harper, Autumn Peltier make Chatelaine magazine’s annual roundup of inspirational change-makers – see why in this 30 second video from APTN News.
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Be introduced (or re-introduced) to the work of coastal visionaries who knowledge-keepers, artists, business people, thought leaders and community pillars based primarily on Coast Salish territories.
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Get to know female Indigenous leaders in Canada who have made meaningful contributions to Canadian society and the world of work – past and present.
Read MoreUnderstand the role of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) in this 2018 video by CBC News. AFN is an advocacy organization for First Nations Peoples and it’s the largest one in Canada, representing more than 900,000 people from 635 communities.
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Learn about Indigenous political organization as it relates to Canadian federal, provincial or territorial political bodies in this entry in the Canadian Encyclopedia.
Read MoreLearn about Indigenous organizations and understand what they do. Here are some to get you started Native Women’s Association of Canada, Indspire, Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business, Metis Nation Council, Congress of Aboriginal People, and Assembly of First Nations
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Learn more about modern treaties and self-governing agreements in Canada. What is close to you? Whitecap Dakota Nation is an example of a community with a plan for self governance. Where else?
Read MoreLearn about Indigenous Governance: Diversity and Relationality in this 5-minutes recorded conversation with Drs. Tracy Bear and Paul Gareau shared by the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Natives Studies.
Read MoreIt is important to recognize that among Indigenous peoples there are social conditions and lived realities that affect all systems in Canada. Go on social media and find three Indigenous activists with causes you believe in. Be A ConnectR, follow their social media and amplify their message.
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Learn about Idle No More and answer their Call to all people to join in a peaceful revolution to honour Indigenous sovereignty and to protect the land, water, and sky.
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Support Indigenous leaders in your community. Ideas to get your started include, supporting Indigenous-run and Indigenous-led business, sharing posts by Indigenous leaders on social media, going to events with Indigenous artists, and reading works by Indigenous authors.
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Learn about, and support the work of, The Indigenous Leadership Initiative, and organization dedicated to strengthening Indigenous Nationhood and Indigenous leadership on the land.
Read MoreLearn about Indigenous leadership as well as titles and honorifics in Indigenous communities, including Elders, Traditional teachers, Knowledge Keepers and more, in this reference by Ontario’s Centennial College
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The Office of the Treaty Commissioner video We Are All Treaty People features voices of Elders, leaders, government, and former Treaty Commissioners talking about Treaty.
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Watch the case for and against Canada’s founding father Sir John A. Macdonald in this two-minute video from the National Post.
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Listen to this episode of the Beyond podcast, featuring Chief Robert Joseph the Ambassador for Reconciliation Canada, and a member of the National Assembly of First Nations Elders Council. He talks about the revelations of 2021 in Canada, and our country’s long-delayed awakening to the truth of residential schools, and our growing commitment to reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians.
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Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) is a national organization representing Indigenous women, girls, and gender diverse people in Canada and working create an inclusive world for women and families of Indigenous nations. Follow them on Insatgram, Facebook, and Twitter.
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Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) works to improve the health and wellbeing of Inuit through research, advocacy, public outreach, and education by serving as a national voice for the 51 Inuit communities. Learn more. Visit ITK on Facebook, and follow on Twitter and Instagram
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Alanis Obomsawin is an acclaimed director and activist filmmaker. Obomsawin always focuses on the importance of her roots and intergenerational bonds in preserving First Nations culture. Her works are driven by the desire to give Canada’s first peoples a voice.
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Sheila Watt-Cloutier, born in Kuujjuaq, Nunavik, Québec, is a Canadian Inuit activist. She was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017 for her advocacy work on the impacts of global climate change on human rights – especially in the Arctic. Her book The Right to Be Cold, about the effects of climate change on Inuit communities, was published in 2015.
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Dr. Stabley Vollant is the first Innu surgeon in Quebec. In 2010 he walked 6,000 km from Labrador through Quebec and Ontario speaking at schools and bringing elders together. From this he founded Puamun Meshkenu (path of thousand dreams) in 2016 to inspire and support Indigenous individuals to develop their full mental, spiritual, physical, and emotional potential.
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Ta’Kaiya Blaney is a teen activist from Tla’min First Nation. She has taken a stand against the destruction of her people’s land and become a champion of environmental causes by teaching Canadian youth about environmental exploitation and the climate crisis. Follow her on Instagram
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Shina Novalinga is an Inuit throat singer. In the early 20th century, Christian missionaries banned throat singing, and much was lost. Shina along with her mother uses Tik Tok and Instagram to preserve throat singing and celebrate Inuit culture. Follow her on TikTok
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Autumn Peltier, from Wikwemikong First Nation, is advocating for the preservation of water for First Nations people in Canada. She has spoken about the realities of water pollution before prime minister Justin Trudeau and the United Nations General Assembly. Follow her on Instagram.
A new display at the Canadian Museum of History in Ottawa highlights the work of water rights activist Autumn Peltier. Learn more here
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The International Indigenous Speakers’ Bureau has an incredible range of speakers that can address topics from health/wellness, arts, history to business and sports: “IISB is about creating opportunities for Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities to connect, and build bridges, by providing access to a wealth of Indigenous Speakers around the world.”
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“ayisīnowak: A Communications Guide is intended to provide individuals with a basic outline of Aboriginal protocol and governance systems in order to facilitate improved relationship building either as co-workers, through business opportunities or through inclusion in specific projects.”
Read MoreThe Indian Act in the Canadian Encyclopedia
“The Indian Act is the principal statute through which the federal government administers Indian status, local First Nations governments and the management of reserve land and communal monies. It was first introduced in 1876 as a consolidation of previous colonial ordinances that aimed to eradicate First Nations culture in favour of assimilation into Euro-Canadian society” (Canadian Encyclopedia).
Harold Cardinal was elected chief of the Sucker Creek band in 1982-83 and was appointed vice-chief for the prairie region of the National Indian Brotherhood. Cardinal published the ‘Red Paper’ (titled Citizens Plus) that argued strongly against the assimilatory goals of the federal government’s White Paper (the Statement of the Government of Canada on Indian Policy).
Harry Daniels was one of the founding members of the Saskatchewan Métis Society. He is most widely known as the man who negotiated the expressed inclusion of “Métis People” in the Canadian Constitution, thereby enshrining Métis rights in the constitution.
Walter Dieter was a Cree person of the Peepeekisis Indian Band in Saskatchewan. He was one of the founders of the National Indian Brotherhood and served as the first National Chief from 1968 to 1970.
Gabriel Dumont rose to political prominence in an age of declining buffalo herds and was concerned about the ongoing economic prosperity and political independence of his people. He is best known for his role in the 1885 North-West Resistance as a key Métis military commander and an ally of Louis Riel.
James Gladstone was Canada’s first Indigenous senator. He was president of the Indian Association of Alta (IAA) and three times was a delegate to Ottawa to discuss proposed changes in the Indian Act. He played a prominent part in the fight for better education, greater respect for treaty rights, and participation of Aboriginals in their own administration.
Elijah Harper was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly in Manitoba in 1981, in 1986 he was appointed to cabinet as Minister Without Portfolio Responsible for Native Affairs, and in 1987 was appointed as Minister of Northern Affairs. In 1990, while sitting as an opposition member in the Manitoba Legislature, he blocked the Canadian constitutional amendment known as the Meech Lake Accord due to a lack of participation of Indigenous peoples in the process.
Louis Riel led the Métis in two resistances during 1869-70 in Red River and in 1885 in the Saskatchewan District of the North-West Territories. He was instrumental in the creation of Manitoba as a province and is a centrally important figure in Métis history.
John Tootoosis was an influential First Nations leader in Saskatchewan. He was appointed chief of Poundmaker at the age of 20, and in 1959 he was elected as the first President of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indians.
Read MoreMcGill, School of Social Work
Cindy Blackstock interviewed on CBC’s 8th Fire
Dr. Cindy Blackstock is a member of the Gitksan First Nation with 25 years of social work experience in child protection and Indigenous children’s rights. Her research interests are Indigenous theory and the identification and remediation of structural inequalities affecting First Nations children, youth, and families. She is the Executive Director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada.
Read MoreDr. Yvonne Boyer is a lawyer, an academic, and a member of the Métis Nation of Ontario with her ancestral roots in the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan and the Red River. She currently serves as a Senator for Ontario and is the first Senator from Ontario to identify as Indigenous.
Senator Lillian Dyck is the first First Nations woman appointed to the Canadian Senate and the first Canadian-born Chinese person appointed to the Senate. Prior to entering political life, she was an academic and senior administrator at the University of Saskatchewan.
Robert Falcon-Ouellette is from Red Pheasant First Nation in Saskatchewan and was raised in Calgary. He was the Member of Parliament for Winnipeg Centre until 2019.
Wabanakwut (Wab) Kinew is a hip hop artist, broadcaster, university administrator, author, and politician. He became the leader of the Manitoba NDP in 2017.
Senator Murray Sinclair served the justice system in Manitoba for over 25 years and was the first Aboriginal judge appointed in Manitoba and the second ever in Canada. He served as Co-Chair of the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry in Manitoba and as Chief Commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
The Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould is an MP, and served as the Minister of Justice and the Attorney General of Canada from 2014 to 2019. She is a lawyer, advocate, and is a former Regional Chief of the BC Assembly of First Nations.
Read MoreFor change to happen at the institutional level, we need more Indigenous elected officials in all levels of government. During the next election, research candidates and support Indigenous politicians and others who prioritize Reconciliation in their platforms and actions.
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Online dictionary of Canadian Biography
This detailed article explores the life of Chief Poundmaker and his role in the negotiations of Treaty 6 in 1876.
Read MoreThe Assembly of First Nations honoured Ethan Bear for his accomplishments and already outstanding career. The 2017 WHL defenceman of the year had a breakout campaign and led the Seattle Thunderbirds to a WHL Championship. Bear, 20, was also one of the league’s highest-scoring blueliners, registering 28 goals and 70 points through 67 games.
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Profiles of Indigenous Olympians
Canadian Indigenous athletes have made incredible contributions to our country’s legacy in sports. Read about athletes past and present in these articles.
Read MoreIndigenous Relations & Northern Affairs Canada
“Learn how the Government of Canada is working to advance reconciliation and renew the relationship with Indigenous peoples, based on recognition of rights, respect, cooperation and partnership.”
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Everyone, at some point in their journey of Reconciliation, needs to read the 94 Calls to Action recommended by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to “redress the legacy of residential schools and advance the process of Canadian reconciliation.” Or connect here to the Truth & Reconciliation Commission Final Report to read other sections and excerpts.
We have included this action in every category and every path on this website as a reminder of how important it is for us to understand the history and path of Reconciliation in our country.
Read MoreCBC’s As It Happens on the Truth & Reconciliation Commission
It’s a call for a nation-wide commitment to Reconciliation. After six years of hearings and testimony, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission put forward 94 recommendations to address the “cultural genocide” of Aboriginal peoples through Canada’s residential school system. Listen to interviews on CBC’s As It Happens to hear from the Commissioners
Read MoreThis useful tool from The Canadian Encyclopedia offers a detailed historical timeline of Indigenous Peoples in Canada, which can be organized by theme or historical periods.
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The Heritage Minutes are a collection of bilingual Canadian 60-second short films, each depicting a significant person, event or story in Canadian history. First released in 1991, they have been shown on television, in cinemas and online, and have become a part of Canadian culture.
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Carey Price is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who plays for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). Read about his career at Wikipedia. Photo Credit
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Saskatoon’s Michael Linklater is one of the top 3×3 players in Canada ranked by the International Basketball Federation’s (FIBA) 3×3 Basketball trackers. Photo by The Canadian Press/Liam Richards
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CBC Reports on Cornwallis Statue Removal
Halifax regional council voted 12-4 in favour of putting a statue of Edward Cornwallis, Halifax’s controversial city founder, into storage. Read the full story and learn how this event relates to moving ahead for Reconciliation.
Read MoreThe Canadian Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
Reginald Joseph Leach is a hockey player born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Known as the “Riverton Rifle,” Leach is widely regarded as one of the premier goal scorers in the National Hockey League (NHL) during the 1970s. He played 13 seasons, including for the Boston Bruins, California Golden Seals, Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings. He is best known for his time in Philadelphia, winning a Stanley Cup with the Flyers in 1975.
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