Porcupine Podcast

Steven Nitah, a Dene from the Northwest Territories, negotiated a protected area in the heart of diamond mining country and his traditional territories. As Steve will tell you, this protected area, five times the size of Prince Edward Island, is an essential part of reconciliation for his people because it’s about co-governance.

Why You Should Listen

Canada has a dark history of bypassing Indigenous treaty rights to take land for national parks. Steven has helped shift negotiations between Indigenous communities and the Government of Canada, from debating rights to agreeing on shared responsibilities. He says government and Indigenous communities have a shared duty to co-manage the land.

Steven’s optimism brings us closer to a future where reconciliation exists through protecting ecologically and culturally significant lands

About Our Guest

Steven Nitah was raised by his great grandparents out on the land in Łutsël K’é Dene First Nation in the Northwest Territories. Elected to the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly in 1999, he served as the Chair of the Special Committee on the Review of the Official Languages Act. 

After his four-year term as an MLA, Nitah took the position of president and CEO of the Denesoline Corporation, the economic development arm of the Łutsël K’é before transitioning to being their Negotiator in the Akaitcho land claims process. 

Elected Chief of Łutsël K’é Dene First Nation in 2008, and under his watch, the Ni Hatni Dene Guardians program began. Nitah and his team successfully negotiated establishment agreements with the federal government and the Government of Northwest Territories creating the Thaidene Nëné Indigenous Protected Area, National Park and Territorial Protected Area in August 2019. 

Nitah served as core member of the Indigenous Circle of Experts from 2017-2018, contributing to a historic report, We Rise Together, about “achieving the Pathway to Canada Target 1 through the creation of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas in the spirit and practice of reconciliation.”

Steven Says:

On the need for reconciliation based on a dark history with the Government of Canada

>> 13:22: We made treaty on July 25th, 1900. We agreed to share the land. We agreed to manage, help co-manage those lands and co-benefit from those lands. That was the spirit and intent with which we entered the treaty. And that’s what we honour and uphold in our relationship with Canada. Unfortunately, that’s not the case with Canada. They didn’t enter into the treaty with that spirit and intent, they entered the treaty with a mandate to get to an agreement, agree to whatever, knowing that they have an assimilation policy in the works, and knowing that their intent was to pretty much get rid of Indigenous Peoples, do a full assimilation. 120 years later, we have a different relationship now.

On Canada’s approach to the land claim process

>> 15:40: The land claim process in Canada’s approach to negotiations has been confrontational by design. I liken it to trying to negotiate a divorce agreement when what we’re really intending to do is to negotiate a relationship agreement.

On the environmental effects of diamond mining in Canada 

>> 22:08: Well, my nation has been surviving and thriving within that region for years. What threatened that is the destruction of the land and ecosystem. We have a huge territory in the Northwest Territories but it’s a very sensitive ecological environment.

If you think the United Nations has nothing to do with your day to day life, think again. Lawyer and United Nations Special Rapporteur David Boyd will show you how the human right to a healthy environment is a game-changer for reconciliation.

Why You Should Listen

Nobody in the world should bear a disproportionate burden of pollution on behalf of the rest of us so we can drive and fly, and do all the things we do. But, Indigenous Peoples do.

This episode reminds us that every single person has the right to live in a healthy environment. We need to get over the Western idea that we’re conquerors of the planet and nature is just a bunch of commodities for us to use and exploit. We need to reconcile the idea of rights with the idea of responsibilities. And learn from Indigenous Peoples who are incredible stewards of the land and water. 

Bringing human rights to courts has improved the lives of many people in the world. Human rights bust things forward, change laws and transform systems. There’s still a long way to go, but as this episode reveals, there is hope in seeing the progress that’s been made.

This episode highlights the importance of TRC Call to Action 19.

About Our Guest

David R. Boyd is the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment and an associate professor of law, policy, and sustainability at the University of British Columbia, jointly appointed at the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability and the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs. 

David Boyd is also the author of nine books and over 100 reports and articles on environmental law and policy, human rights, and constitutional law, plus a novel. His books include Thirst for Justice (2020), The Rights of Nature (2017), The Optimistic Environmentalist (2015), and The Environmental Rights Revolution (2012).

He lives on S,Dayes (Pender Island) with his partner and their daughter; loves to run, hike, kayak and cycle, and is the world record holder in the Barnacleman Triathlon! For more information see srenvironment.org.

David Says:

On the United Nations and Reconciliation

>> 19:44: Those are really the three key elements, right? The energy system, the food system, and taking care of natural ecosystems. And I want to talk some more about that because I think that’s where these…that’s where reconciliation, Indigenous Peoples and the climate and biodiversity crisis converge again, in a place of optimism.

>> 25:22 We have a vision for the future. It’s called the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. And every person on earth should sit down and read those 17 goals because they describe a vision of the future that no one in their right mind could possibly disagree with. No poverty, no hunger, equality for everyone, clean energy, healthy biodiversity and ecosystems, education for all. I mean, it’s a vision of like heaven on earth and we know the pathways forward, but we have to act now if we’re going to get there.

On human rights and Indigenous Peoples  

>> 06:56: You had Indigenous Peoples, environmental organizations, human rights activists, all clamoring for decades to get to that kind, you know, that final achievement of universal recognition of the right to water in 2010, that was a huge victory.

On Canada not voting for water to be a human right at the United N...

Nicole Redvers walked into the wrong lecture at the University of Lethbridge and it changed her life. Now, as a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine, she works to help heal using traditional Indigenous medicine and Western medicine.

Why You Should Listen

The Indigenous approach to medicine focuses on guidance and healing while Western medicine focuses on solutions. This episode highlights how reconciliation in Indigenous health helps people heal in a safe, supportive way, across Canada and around the world. In addition, it demonstrates the need for change to address TRC Calls to Action around Indigenous health.

About Our Guest

Dr. Nicole Redvers is a doctor of naturopathic medicine. She is a member of the Deninu K’ue First Nation in the NWT and is currently an assistant professor at the University of North Dakota’s School of Medicine & Health Sciences. She also co-developed the first Indigenous Health PhD degree program in North America.

She is co-founder and chair of the Arctic Indigenous Wellness Foundation based in the Canadian North. The foundation was awarded the million-dollar 2017 Arctic Inspiration Prize for their work with vulnerable populations within land-based healing settings in the Northwest Territories. 

Dr. Redvers also authored the trade paperback book titled, ‘The Science of the Sacred: Bridging Global Indigenous Medicine Systems and Modern Scientific Principles.’  

On an international level, she actively promotes the inclusion of Indigenous perspectives in planetary health and education for sustainable health care. Her scholarly work engages a breadth of scholarly projects attempting to bridge gaps between Indigenous and Western ways in regards to individual, community, and planetary health.

 Read Nicole’s full bio on University of North Dakota

Nicole Says:

On a her decision to return to her home in Canada to practise Indigenous medicine and traditional healing  

>> 04:00: I was sitting in the airport in Edmonton on my way back after about six months in Africa. There was this older Dene woman—her knee was in a lot of pain. I went over and helped her get up, and just had this flash of awareness—I was going all over the world to work but where I was really needed was at home. So I made a very acute decision at that point to come back home to the North.

On racism in Canadian health care  

>> 05:20 The main fundamental piece is structural issues within the health system that make it not a safe and trusting place for many Indigenous Peoples due to the historical trauma that have existed in the territory from colonization. I remember being in Fort Resolution and seeing one of the ladies with a bent finger with a wrapping around it. She said, “Oh, you know, I think it’s broken.” I said, “Oh, well, did you go to the nursing station?” And she said, “No, no, I’m not going on the nursing station. I’d rather just deal with it myself.” Again, another moment of realization where people are willing to suffer and be at home rather than go and seek support. We still have major issues that we need to deal with in the North and in the rest of Canada, and even the world. That thought process led to a serendipitous gathering of Elders and deciding that we needed to do something different. A few of us created the Arctic Indigenous Wellness Foundation.

From residential school to singing on stage with George Jones, George Tuccaro shares his courageous journey from the drunk tank to professional CBC broadcaster, and why personal healing is essential to reconciliation…and joy.

Why You Should Listen

After being separated from family and forcibly stripped of their culture, many Indigenous Peoples who attended residential schools still suffer. It’s critical to understand how the legacy of residential schools and colonialism continue to negatively impact Indigenous communities. 

After surviving residential school and tragically losing his brother, George turned to alcohol to cope. But he found a way to overcome his pain through sobriety, self-help groups, public speaking, music and humour. George is an inspiration and continues working to help others overcome the trauma that remains from their experiences. 

This episode sheds light on the importance of TRC Calls to Action 19, 21, and 22.

About Our Guest

A member of the Mikisew Cree First Nation, George Tuccaro began a career in broadcasting in 1971, when he became an Announcer-Operator with CBC North Radio in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. In 1979, Tuccaro joined the public service, becoming a communications officer with the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs. Leaving that position in 1981, Tuccaro returned to broadcasting by again joining CBC North as a Coordinator of Aboriginal Languages Programming. In this position, Tuccaro worked to develop the promotion of Aboriginal languages in radio broadcasting, as well as producing an internationally acclaimed radio documentary on the rate of teen suicide in the north of Canada. 

Between 1990 and 1991, Tuccaro was the Coordinator of the Cultural Industries Program, and created a booking agency for northern performing artists in the Northwest Territories. From then until 2002, Tuccaro hosted Trails End, a CBC North Radio program, and served as the anchor of Northbeat, the first daily current affairs television program in Canada’s north. 

In 2002, Tuccaro retired from public broadcasting to start his own company, GLT Communications, through which he aimed to bring major events to the territory. Tuccaro has been awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal and a 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal. On May 12, 2010, Tuccaro was appointed Commissioner of the Northwest Territories. On May 10, 2016, Tuccaro retired from his position as Commissioner.

George Says:

On why residential schools were created

>> 03:00: They literally tried to reprogram us to take the Indian out of the child, I think was the objective back in those days. 

On the history and effects of residential schools

>> 03:13: There’s a lot of issues that came out as a result of [residential schools]. I was a product of some of those issues as well after I left residential school. I was only there for six years. But in that time a lot of things had happened to a young boy who all of a sudden lost all the nurturing and everything.

>> 04:20: There’s some things that happened along the way that caused me to actually end up being an alcoholic

On healing from abuse he and others suffered at residential schools

>> 07:15: I tried to encourage a lot of men to [come to healing groups]. And so I think that’s still the challenge today is to get them in,

What do a Cree Elder, a theologian, and an ex-Moderator of the United Church of Canada all have in common? They are all Stan McKay, and he’s going to talk to us about what a covenant of reconciliation is, and why the earth needs to be part of it.

Why You Should Listen

To build strong relationships with each other and the earth we need to look at reconciliation holistically. This episode sheds light on TRC Call to Action 46 and highlights how we all live together on this earth, and how everyone has a place in society — regardless of faith or beliefs.

About Our Guest

The Very Reverend Stan McKay made history as the first Aboriginal person to lead the United Church of Canada, serving as moderator from 1992 to 1994, where he was instrumental in pioneering a new road towards reconciliation.

As a spiritual leader he consistently seeks ways to build bridges between Christian beliefs and Aboriginal teachings, believing there is more to unite than divide us.

McKay was born into an extended family on Fisher River Cree Nation, where he attended the Fisher River and Birtle Indian Residential Schools. He graduated from The University of Winnipeg’s Faculty of Theology (now The United Centre for Theological Studies) in 1971, and for several decades supported training for the ministry, which enabled Aboriginal peoples to study in their own language.

As co-director of the Dr. Jessie Saulteaux Centre, he again created new pathways towards reconciliation by providing non-Aboriginal people with opportunities to learn about the culture of Aboriginal peoples. McKay received a 1997 National Aboriginal Achievement Award for his efforts in finding a balance that respects the best of Aboriginal and Christian teachings.

As a respected community Elder, McKay is still offering his guidance and wisdom, working on reconciliation issues full time. He is part of the Collaborative Leadership Initiative, which works to establish common ground between Indigenous and local government leaders in southern Manitoba, Canada.

Stan Says:

On the meaning and true spirit of reconciliation

>> 02:47: I’m learning day by day, what reconciliation might mean. And I think it is about rediscovering relationships; starting over again. I don’t think there is a very good record in Canadian history of Indigenous Peoples having a real place in society or, in the minds of the majority population, that Indigenous Peoples would have anything to contribute. So I think reconciliation needs to be redefined and needs to be looked at again in our context, and that its historic uses may not really help us in our present situation. It’s more helpful for me to talk about revisiting the treaties and engaging as peoples with some level of respect.  

On reconciliation in respect to the pandemic 

>> 17:00: Those of us who are on the margins of society, the Indigenous community, we’re very vulnerable in this time. But the earth also is very vulnerable. We must ponder more holistically what reconciliation means.

>> 25:39: When we’re all vulnerable, when we’re in this all together, it’s really a wonderful opportunity to consider reconciliation between peoples and with all of creation. I think Indigenous spiritual leaders have been pointing us throughout our history. We must care for each other, but must also care for the earth.

Engineering Professor Kerry Black says that engineers working with First Nations need to focus on building relationships not just buildings. She’s passionate that her profession has some fundamental changes to make if they are going to be part of reconciliation.

Why You Should Listen

Canada is a water-rich country, so why are 33 Indigenous communities still living under 52 long-term drinking water advisories today? 

Before engineers can help, they need to be better listeners. One-size fits all solutions don’t work. This episode reveals how involving communities often results in solutions that last longer, save money, and are more sustainable.

Kerry wishes the TRC Calls to Action specifically referenced the role of infrastructure in communities. She explains why engineering should have been included and encourages engineering companies to follow TRC Call to Action 92.

About Our Guest

Kerry Black is an Assistant Professor and Schulich Research Chair (Integrated Knowledge, Engineering & Sustainable Communities), in the Center for Environmental Engineering Research and Education (CEERE) and the Department of Civil Engineering, at the University of Calgary.   She received her PhD from the University of Guelph with research focused on sustainable water and wastewater management in Indigenous communities.  Her focus is to engage in a cross-disciplinary research platform, incorporating technical civil and environmental engineering principles and research, with policy and socio-economic components, focusing on sustainable infrastructure for healthy and resilient communities.  

Over the past 12 years, she worked extensively in the academic, public, private and non-profit sectors, employed in technical, scientific, policy, and management roles.  The majority of my experience has included working with and for Indigenous communities on urgent and pressing infrastructure issues across Canada.  Her cross-disciplinary research has been featured in both engineering and social science journals. Dr. Black is a strong advocate for increasing diversity in science and engineering, sustainability initiatives and programs, and community development, including her work with Indigenous communities, including most recently with the Assembly of First Nations and the British Columbia First Nations Housing & Infrastructure Council.

Kerry Says:

On sustainable energy engineering

>> 26:40: When you think about the number of scientists who are doing sustainability research and climate change research and water-based research and all sorts of things that are rooted in the land and not…none of them are necessarily actively encouraged to incorporate, and I hate the word incorporate, but integrate meaningfully work with their Indigenous communities or partners, which should be like a [pre-requirement] for the job, should be that for every non-Indigenous scientist you have an Indigenous scientist.

On Indigenous communities in Canada

>> 12:55: If there’s anybody who has a stronger track record of living with, and in harmony with nature and the environment, it’s not necessarily my ancestors. It’s Indigenous Peoples who are, you know, fundamentally have all of this knowledge and ways of being and ways of knowing.

On clean water in Indigenous communities 

>> 13:15: 10 years ago, when I started diving into, you know,

Her mother was murdered when Lesa Semmler was eight. Now a politician and advocate for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, Lesa explains why having a place to go can save a life and is vital for reconciliation. 

Why You Should Listen

Reconciliation calls for understanding. Lesa helps listeners gain a deeper understanding of how colonization can play out in the individual lives of Indigenous women and girls today. 

Her honest and stark account of what’s happening in Canada reveals the need for healing and support, and the need to provide those who are most vulnerable with a home to feel safe in.

This episode highlights the importance of TRC Calls to Action 1-5 on child welfare.

About Our Guest

Lesa Semmler was elected to the 19th Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly as the Member representing Inuvik Twin Lakes. She was born in Yellowknife, NT and raised in Inuvik, NT, where she still resides.

She graduated from the Aurora College Northern Nursing Program as a Registered Nurse in 2000 and obtained her Community Health Nurse Certification from the Canadian Nurses Association in 2008. Ms. Semmler received her Leadership Certificate from Vancouver College in 2012 and her Managers Certificate from the Government of Northwest Territories and the University of Alberta School of Business in 2016.

She has 15 years of experience as a frontline Registered Nurse for the Inuvik Regional Hospital where her focus was in Acute Care, Homecare, and Public Health. She also worked for one year in Public Health in Yellowknife. Lesa was the Manager of Acute Care Services for the Inuvik Regional Hospital. She became the Regional Manager of Acute Care Services after the amalgamation into the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority. 

Most recently, Lesa was employed with the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation (IRC) as the Inuvialuit Health System Navigator where she assisted Inuvialuit Beneficiaries in navigating the health care system.

She served as a Board Member on the Inuvik District Education Authority from 2012 to 2015. And in 2015, was elected as Chair until 2018. During this time, Ms. Semmler also served as Chair of the Beaufort Delta Education Council.

Lesa Semmler has also been a member on many working groups at the territorial and national level such as the Inuit Tuberculosis Elimination Board, Inuit Midwifery Revitalization, Hotii ts‘eeda (NWT Scientific Patient Orientated Research Unit), as a governing council member for the IRC, as well as many other health-related initiatives.

Ms. Semmler has also volunteered as a Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls National Family Advisory Circle member where she had the great honour to take part of this historic piece of the Northwest Territories’ past, where she worked to ensure that all northern voices were heard and represented in their final report.

Lesa Says:

On the national inquiry into MMIWG

>> 05:40: If you can remember the TRC, I think having these witness statements throughout the inquiry were very important. It was more of getting our stories out there that these things are happening. This has happened. These things are not okay. You know, this is not going to be forgotten or erased. It’s going to be something that’s going to be there so that we never forget.

Professor Diana Lewis and Professor Heather Castleden are frustrated that First Nations still get resistance from big power utilities when they want to build renewable energy projects. For them and the First Nations they work with, reconciliation is based on good energy.

Why You Should Listen

Indigenous Peoples across Canada have developed energy projects that deliver clean, affordable and reliable power to their communities. This episode provides examples of what happens when First Nations and industry work together—and what happens when industry fails to build respectful relationships and commit to meaningful consultation, as outlined in TRC Call to Action 92.  

About Our Guests

Professor Diana (Dee) Lewis and Dr. Heather Castleden  

Diana (Dee) and Heather are Co-Directors of A Shared Future: Achieving Strength, Health, and Autonomy through Renewable Energy Development for the Future, an international research program which explores how Indigenous knowledge systems, as applied to renewable energy development, may have the potential to lead us towards ‘healthful environments’ through reconciling and healing our relations with each other as well as with the land, air, and water around us.

Diana Lewis is an Assistant Professor at Western University, Department of Indigenous Studies and the Department of Geography and Environment. She has worked with multiple First Nations directly, as well as many Indigenous political organizations, federal government agencies, and program delivery organizations in Canada over 30 years. 

Diana is Mi’kmaq from Sipekne’katik First Nation in Nova Scotia, and holds a Master of Resource and Environmental Management degree. Her PhD research focuses on resource development, and the impacts of resource development on the health of Indigenous peoples using a methodology that combines both Indigenous and western-based sciences. Her long-term research interests are to foster a wider understanding of the unique aspects of Indigenous environmental health, specifically as it is impacted by resource or industrial development.  

Dr. Heather Castleden is a (white) settler guest and scholar on traditional Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee territory at Queen’s University where she is a Canada Research Chair in Reconciling Relations for Health, Environments and Communities. She has spent her academic career as a geographer working at the theoretical, methodological, and empirical nexus of power and resistance, relationships to place, and moral/ethical accountability. Her research is community-based and participatory, in partnerships with Indigenous peoples, communities, organizations, and governments on topics important to them, focusing on the politics of knowledge production in environment and health justice.

Diana (Dee) and Heather Say:

On making renewable energy the focus of A Shared Future   

>> 14:14: Heather: We knew that we wanted to look at reconciliation. We knew we wanted to look at renewable energy.

>> 12:40: We were really interested in bringing forward stories of strength, stories of Indigenous leadership in the renewable energy sector to showcase the work that Indigenous communities are doing that reflect their values and ways of being, in relationship to the land.

On Tobique First Nation – how renewable energy contributes to reconciliation (or not) 

>>19:19: Diana: When I think of the three terms, reconciliation, self-determination, and energy security,

Environmental lawyer and now green party politician Dianne Saxe reveals how speaking truth to power sometimes comes at great personal cost and that when it comes to environment and reconciliation, hope combined with action is the only way forward. 

Why You Should Listen

The news around climate change isn’t always bad. In this episode, you’ll hear inspiring stories of how Indigenous Peoples across Canada are combating climate change. If you’re looking for a way to make a positive impact on the world, Dianne Saxe encourages you to start with personal action—rethink how you consume as a business owner or consumer, and find your personal path of reconciliation.

About Our Guest

Dianne Saxe, Ph.D. in Law, is one of Canada’s most respected environmental lawyers. She ran an environmental law boutique for 25 years and was the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario from 2015-2019. She was appointed unanimously by all MPPs to report to the Legislature on Ontario’s environmental, energy and climate performance, and to be the guardian of the Environmental Bill of Rights. During her term, she improved the effectiveness of the Environmental Bill of Rights, increased public understanding of the urgency of climate change, and delivered 17 reports on environment, energy and climate.

Dianne now heads Saxe Facts, a law firm focusing on the climate crisis. She has substantial board and media experience, and is the host of the Green Economy Heroes podcast. 

Dianne is a Senior Fellow at Massey College, recipient of a Law Society Medal 2020, and a Clean50 honouree. Recently, Dianne was named Deputy leader of the Ontario Green Party.

Read Dianne’s full bio on Saxe Facts

Dianne Says:

On climate justice for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people

>> 06:20: We the boomers owe the young people to do whatever is in our power to try to fix what we’ve damaged, restore what we’ve broken, give back what we’ve stolen.

On how environmental law can make progress in reconciliation

>> 11:45: Environmental law can be significantly effective. We have seen environmental laws over the last 50 years force industries and municipalities to dramatically clean up many forms of local pollution. 

>> 10:42: We’ve also learned that the laws are stunningly vulnerable to being damaged, undercut, evaporated as the Ford government has been doing.

On capitalism vs climate change

>> 21:10: It really is Naomi Klein’s disaster capitalism, where the very rich and powerful use their wealth to buy political power, which is then used to change the [environmental] laws, to enable them to get richer. And that’s heartbreaking to see, but that is what’s happening.

On the role of Indigenous Peoples in combating climate change

>> 15:41: Now more than half of the certified geothermal installers in Manitoba are First Nations people who have graduated from [Shaun Loney’s Aki Energy] program. Aki Energy has installed $12 million of geothermal heating and electricity systems on reserves with no government grants,

Dan Christmas helped transform his community, Membertou First Nation, from rags to riches. He explains why creating an environment where business can thrive is key to reconciliation.  

Why You Should Listen

When Indigenous communities thrive economically, the rest of Canada does too. This episode explains TRC Call to Action 57 and shows how fighting racism and embracing change can advance economic reconciliation.

About Our Guest

In December 2016, Dan Christmas was sworn in as an Independent Senator for Nova Scotia. Sen. Christmas is the first Mi’kmaw Senator to be appointed to the Senate of Canada.

From 1997 to 2016, Dan held the position as Senior Advisor with Membertou and assisted the Chief and Council and its management team with day-to-day operations. Dan also served as elected Councillor for Membertou for 18 years.

He has also served in various leadership positions in the Mi’kmaw Nation of Nova Scotia. After serving five years as the Band Manager for the Community of Membertou, he worked for the Union of Nova Scotia Indians for 15 years—the last 10 as its Director. He was actively involved in the recognition and implementation of Mi’kmaw Aboriginal and Treaty rights in Nova Scotia.

Dan has been active in a number of international, national, provincial and local agencies in a wide range of fields including Aboriginal and Treaty rights, justice, policing, education, health care, human rights, adult training, business development and the environment.  

He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Dalhousie University in 2005 and an honorary diploma from the Nova Scotia Community College in 2016. In 2008, he was the recipient of the National Excellence in Aboriginal Leadership Award from the Aboriginal Financial Officers Association of Canada.

Dan Says:

On turning around one of the most successful Indigenous economies in Canada

>> 6:35: Even though we were an urban First Nation, we were really struggling with unemployment, poverty, and deficits. In 1994 our community hit the lowest. We were literally bankrupt. We had two failed business ventures and were even having trouble just covering social assistance cheques for welfare recipients.

>> 10:50: We’ve come from a very, very poor, have-not First Nation into a very, very well-off First Nation in a short period of 20 years. 

>> 10:5: Almost all of [Membertou First Nation] revenues now are self-generated and the government portion of our budget is very small, and that’s only going to continue to grow into the future.

On Indigenous governance and the Government of Canada’s paternalistic views of Indigenous Peoples

>> 22:21: There has to be equality and right now, federal and provincial governments do not treat Indigenous governments as equals. It seems to us that the Indigenous people are given a side table. They can look after some of these issues and that’s fine, but we aren’t big boys to federal and provincial people. And, ‘we’ll look after this country and we’ll look after your interests as well.’ I mean, that’s colonial assault; paternalistic. Indigenous people have the same right to govern as a federal and provincial entities, and more so because we also have Aboriginal and treaty rights. 

On what a reconciliation approach to economic development looks like