Porcupine Podcast Episode 3: Northern Reality and Reconciliation Part 2, with Tony Penikett.
Merrell-Ann and Michael continue their discussion about First Nations and government to government reconciliation. Their guest is former Premier of the Yukon and author of Hunting the Northern Character, Tony Penikett. Lightly edited for reading.
Listen to the episode and view the episode show notes here.
Catch Up: Listen to Part 1 and view the Part 1 show notes here.
Episode Introduction
Merrell-Ann Phare (00:02): This is Porcupine. I’m Merrell-Ann Phare.
Michael Miltenberger (00:05): And I’m Michael Miltenberger and we’re the hosts of the Porcupine Podcast.
Merrell-Ann Phare (00:09): Okay. So there’s this old joke that goes how do two porcupines hug?
Michael Miltenberger (00:14): Carefully.
Merrell-Ann Phare (00:15): And such is the story of reconciliation, at least so far. In this podcast series, we’re exploring reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians. We’re looking at its funny, educational, touching, and difficult aspects, and also its prickly parts. Welcome back to Porcupine Podcast. This is episode two, part two with Tony Penikett.
Tony’s Experience With Reconciliation
Michael Miltenberger (00:44): Reconciliation, easy to say, hard to do. A lot of people have no idea what it means for most people or people have their own unique ideas. Do you have a clear definition in your mind of what reconciliation is? And what would be the one thing that we have to put for it at the top of our list? If we’re going to make it really happen?
Tony Penikett (01:06): It is a complicated – it is a complicated project. It means that each of us on each side of the reconciliation debate have to surrender something to the other. And I am enormously pleased when I’m in Nunavut and I see non-Indigenous members of the legislature debating in Inuktitut.
But if you think about whether that’s conceivable in Quebec, Ottawa, Alberta or British Columbia, it is just not there. There is a new kind of society being created in the North. And it is created, I would argue, across the Arctic. With the possible exception of Russia, where there is some genuinely hybrid institutions being created, which actually suit the local geography, and are the product of some very hard and sometimes very painful debates that have gone on over the last 30, 40 years. That to me is a very large and ongoing reconciliation project
Governing From A Distance
Michael Miltenberger (02:11): In the Northwest Territories, we had two parallel tracks going on. And complimentary parallel tracks. The resolution of land claim agreements, and starting out the question of rights as at the same time Northerners as a territory pushed hard with Ottawa for devolution. Take into the North decision-making from Ottawa.
