Political and business leaders across Canada choose to, are instructed to, or claim to have consulted with Indigenous organizations within their communities on matters that are of mutual interest. Indeed, most of these business and political leaders likely do not even know who most of their regional Indigenous organizations are.
These same business and community leaders, mostly non-Indigenous, are familiar with the names of the local chamber president, minor hockey president, or the date of the next community gala, but struggle to know the names of regional Indigenous leaders. This is likely true in regions across Canada.
Let’s review the St. Albert-Sturgeon County region as one example.
The Sturgeon-St. Albert region is home to Poundmaker’s Lodge Treatment Centres, Michif Cultural Connections (Institute), the National Aboriginal Day Society, and St. Albert-Sturgeon County Métis Local 1904. Each of these operates as a not-for-profit organization and relies on others as sponsors, volunteers, for help with finance, and support.
There is a Métis Fest held annually in St. Albert — sponsored and organized by the Métis Child and Family Services Society, which plays a significant role in showcasing Indigenous talent, bringing in performers ranging from four years old to 94 years old from across Western Canada and the Territories to compete and perform.
The Alexander First Nation is located within this same region. The region, in recent years, has played host to the Alberta Indigenous Games. The Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women, for 25 years, has recognized many Indigenous female leaders from the area at the extravagant Esquao Awards celebration. Many of these formal organizations have also been represented on a local Healing Garden committee.
On the Economic Development front, the Apeetogosan (Métis) Development Inc. is an organization committed to providing sustainable financial services and support to clients.
In this region alone, named here, are 10 organizations, including one committee and only one First Nation.
The 94 calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission include 17 calls where municipalities have a role to play to implement policy for change. Regions and municipalities across Canada should be mandated to implement public policies and sustainable solutions, but today few, if any, municipalities have implemented policies to act on these 17 calls.
Instead, provincial, federal, and municipal leaders from across Canada read declarations; do flag-raising photo-ops, fuelled by media attention; and read declarations in their speeches about the Treaty territory they are speaking from.
Real change in the form of bylaws, policy, and programs is void at every level.
In addition to much-needed federal and provincial policy, regional and municipal leaders across Canada need to learn who their regional Indigenous organizations are and engage with more of them on an ongoing basis.
The late regional Métis elder, Tom Ghostkeeper, (who sat on many regional and Alberta boards) once said, “The National Aboriginal Day and local powwows should be hosted as much for the non-Indigenous who don’t attend, as for the Indigenous folks who do attend.”
Such true words, spoken by a long-term local leader.
The next time we need to consult with local Indigenous leadership, it is important to understand who such regional entities are, and to reach out to those who are working tirelessly to advance the causes of those organizations.
We should all at least do a better job at knowing the names of the groups, knowing the names of their leaders, and engaging in true cultural connection.
Nolan Crouse is a former St. Albert mayor.
