00:38:50 Robin Coady/StFX: Greetings, My name is Karri-Lynn Paul, I am a Wolastoqiyik woman from Woodstock First Nation in NB. I am also faculty at the Coady Institute and the lead for the Indigenous Women and Community Leadership program and your moderator today. Robin Neustaeter will be supporting this session and monitoring the chat for questions and comments. Also a reminder that this session is being recorded. 00:39:22 Robin Coady/StFX: Land Acknowledgement I would like to begin by acknowledging that the Coady Institute, St. Francis Xavier University is located on Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq People. This territory is covered by the “Treaties of Peace and Friendship” which Mi’kmaq and Wəlastəkwiyik (Maliseet) Peoples first signed with the British Crown in 1725. The treaties did not deal with surrender of lands and resources but in fact recognized Mi’kmaq and Wəlastəkwiyik (Maliseet) title and established the rules for what was to be an ongoing relationship between nations. 00:40:20 Sandra Currie: Sorry, I have to leave. Hope this is being recorded! 00:41:25 Robin Coady/StFX: Before I introduce the panel: I want to provide some context and share some realities for IW in Canada especially for our global participants. I will share with you some sobering statistics about IW in Canada, then our speakers will share their stories and experiences that speak to these realities as well as strategies and recommendations for change. • The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Final Report was released in June 2019. It found Canada guilty of historic and on-going genocide against Indigenous women and girls. Canada’s colonial structures led directly to their current rates of violence, death and suicide • IW are being denied their basic human rights to be protected from violence and death • Indigenous girls have highest rates of death at 6 times the national average • Infant mortality rates 3 times the national average • Nationally 47% of Indigenous children live in poverty, but in Manitoba it is 76% and is on the increase 00:41:44 Robin Coady/StFX: • Nationally 47% of Indigenous children live in poverty, but in Manitoba it is 76% and is on the increase • Poverty of Indigenous children, linked to poverty of their mothers, the majority are single mothers • 42% of the federal prisons are Indigenous Women, 60% in youth corrections are Indigenous girls (MB – 85%, SK – 98%) o 91% of IW&G have suffered physical or sexual abuse before entering prisons 00:42:22 Robin Coady/StFX: COVID implications: • adds to the vulnerability of IW&G to be infected or die at even higher rates, and they are greater risk of domestic violence • IW are over represented in the homelessness and prision populations that are especially at risk of getting COVID 00:43:33 Robin Coady/StFX: Karla Stevens is from Paqtnkek Mi'kmaw Nation near Antigonish, N.S. and is the proud mother of three girls. She currently works as the Project coordinator with Circles of Support and Change Project: Transferring Successful Rural Indigenous Practices to Other Rural Contexts: it is a project of the Antigonish Women’s Resource Centre and Sexual Assault Services Association working in partnership with 3 distinct, rural, underserved communities to develop community-led, community-based responses for preventing and responding to gender-based and sexualized violence. Karla was also the community facilitator for the 2016 “Responding to and Preventing Sexual Violence – Paqnkek Project” aimed at addressing sexual violence against Indigenous women. 00:43:55 Robin Coady/StFX: Karla is an active community volunteer and recently headed the “Nitap program” (meaning friendship in Mik’maw) a project focused on inclusion, friendship and passing on Indigenous knowledge. The project was done in collaboration with the Paqtnkek Community Health Center and Antigonish Recreation department and financially supported by Peace by Chocolate. The Antigonish based chocolate company raised a $10,000 donation by co-creating with Paqtnkek a “Nitap” chocolate bar and giving one dollar from every bar sold to the project. Karla is a 2015 graduate of the Indigenous Women in Community leadership program at Coady. 00:45:36 Robin Coady/StFX: Karla will now speak about her current work the Circles of Support and Change Project: Transferring Successful Rural Indigenous Practices to Other Rural Contexts. She will share how the project was developed, how it’s moving forward during a pandemic on a virtual platform and how to keep community engaged. 00:56:01 Robin Coady/StFX: Martina is a proud Ininew Iskwew from York Factory First Nation, in York Landing, Manitoba in Treaty 5 Territory. She is honored to be both a Mother and a Grandmother. Martina is an advocate for Indigenous women and has had a diverse career including roles as Senior Negotiator for York Factory Future Development, her work with Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakinak and is also former Vice president of the Keeyask Hydropower Ltd Partnership. In 2018, she filed a complaint with the Manitoba Human Rights Commission after resigning from the board of directors overseeing construction of the Keeyask generating station, because of the power imbalance, which impacted the Cree’s meaningful participation. Racism, discrimination and sexual abuses at Manitoba Hydro work sites have been ongoing since the 1960s. Martina is a 2019 graduate of the Indigenous Women in Community leadership program at Coady. 00:56:58 Robin Coady/StFX: She will speak on Indigenous women, GBV and Resource Development. 01:01:34 Karla Stevens: http://awrcsasa.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/FINAL-Mikmaw-Community-Engagement-Toolkit-Fillable.pdf 01:01:45 Karla Stevens: Link to the "Tool Kit" 01:02:31 Angela Johnson: Thank you 01:15:40 Robin Coady/StFX: Fay Blaney is a Xwemalhkwu woman of the Coast Salish Nation and is passionately committed to issues affecting Indigenous women. She is a devoted educator and activist. Fay taught for many years at Langara College and the University of British Columbia, as well as several other post-secondary institutions with a focus on Indigenous and Women's Studies. She was also called on to be an expert witness at the National Inquiry on the MMIWG. 01:16:08 Robin Coady/StFX: Faye is a Residential School survivor and has organized and run several "Reconciliation Circles". 01:16:27 Robin Coady/StFX: She currently volunteers for my home community in a variety of areas, including language revitalization, community safety, development of our Custom Election Code, the sobriety movement, etc. Fay is also a long time mentor with the Indigenous Women in Community Leadership at Coady. Lastly, she is a founding member and the Lead Matriarch of the Aboriginal Women's Action Network, and is active in national and international arenas. 01:16:45 Robin Coady/StFX: She will speak on the Aboriginal Women's Action Network’s current project “Refugees in their own homelands”. 01:18:24 Karri-Lynn Paul: Today, AWAN for commemoration grant for education on violence against indigenous women 01:18:42 Karri-Lynn Paul: COVID has brought that work to a grinding hault 01:19:14 Karri-Lynn Paul: Gathering were intended to Bring out the voices not included in NIMMIWG 01:19:57 Karri-Lynn Paul: They had difficulty with the amount of time the chiefs were taking up during the NIMMIWG. 01:20:46 Karri-Lynn Paul: 8 cases of Chiefs sexually assaulting women came up when she googled it. 01:21:05 Karri-Lynn Paul: There was also a focus in families in the NIMMIWG 01:21:48 Karri-Lynn Paul: When she worked in the Downtown east side - she saw many single women running from families 01:22:15 Karri-Lynn Paul: Didn’t live a patriarchal society before contact 01:22:35 Karri-Lynn Paul: Had a gathering - question western models of healing 01:23:03 Karri-Lynn Paul: She Has 38 years of sobriety 01:23:28 Karri-Lynn Paul: Family services were constantly watching here 01:23:58 Karri-Lynn Paul: Healing more from an Indigenous approach - no victim blaming 01:24:19 Karri-Lynn Paul: Healing look wholistic and societal and political analysis there 01:24:51 Karri-Lynn Paul: Develop an understanding that they have survived oppression 01:25:01 Karri-Lynn Paul: 1) involvement of men in process of NIMMIWG 01:25:11 Karri-Lynn Paul: 2) Family focused 01:25:17 Karri-Lynn Paul: #) Healing models 01:25:50 Karri-Lynn Paul: Held first focus group with survivors of prositution 01:26:43 Karri-Lynn Paul: Sophie just passed way - actress - help them to best way to educate was through the arts. 01:27:00 Karri-Lynn Paul: Women coming out of residential school and ending up into protitution 01:27:28 Karri-Lynn Paul: Stigma and shame stuck out - women had been hiding this for a long time 01:27:45 Karri-Lynn Paul: Should not be carrying that stigma and shame 01:28:22 Karri-Lynn Paul: Women would run into johns and pimps in soberly meeetins 01:28:42 Karri-Lynn Paul: Expungement of criminal records 01:30:01 Karri-Lynn Paul: Expunging crimes for majuana and homosexuality 01:30:19 Karri-Lynn Paul: 632$ to access your criminal records 01:30:34 Karri-Lynn Paul: Need to get fingerpinrt to access criminal records 01:31:06 Karri-Lynn Paul: Not accept fingerprints that are not digitally done and you have to pay for that 01:31:45 Karri-Lynn Paul: Hard and costly to get theier criminal record expunged 01:32:11 Karri-Lynn Paul: Other things came out 01:32:41 Karri-Lynn Paul: Harm reduction - keep women stuck in prostitution and drug use 01:32:51 Karri-Lynn Paul: No exit but Christian ones 01:33:02 Karri-Lynn Paul: Gov’t review of Bill 36 01:33:16 Karri-Lynn Paul: Write to MP - don’t repel the law 01:33:29 Karri-Lynn Paul: Next gathering in montreal 01:33:44 Karri-Lynn Paul: 7 Inuit women that were homeless and no-one paid attention 01:34:00 Karri-Lynn Paul: Bring attention to Inuit women in protitution 01:34:18 Karri-Lynn Paul: Focus group on incarcerated IW 01:35:00 Karri-Lynn Paul: Raised by Madaline Redfern - when traveling with male leaders females encounter sexual assult 01:35:18 Karri-Lynn Paul: Power of the arts in bring the message through 01:36:01 Robin Coady/StFX: Lorelei Williams is an Interior Salish/Coast Salish woman from Skatin Nations/Sts’Ailes, Vancouver, BC. and is a single mom raising two beautiful and amazing children. Lorelei is a strong advocate for victims and families of MMIWG. In 2012 she founded Butterflies in Spirit – a dance group comprised of family members of MMIWG with the goal of empowering Indigenous women and raising awareness about her aunt Belinda Williams missing since 1978, and her cousin Tanya Holyk who was murdered in 1996. 01:36:20 Robin Coady/StFX: Lorelei is the Program Manager with The Restoring Circles Project, an Indigenous Ally Transformative Justice Project and a Research Assistant at Sovereign Bodies Institute (SBI), where she is developing a project aimed at producing an understanding and awareness of how dance can be utilized as healing practice for both Indigenous survivors of violence and their families. She is also an active member of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women’s Coalition. Lorelei is a 2018 graduate of the Indigenous Women in Community leadership program at Coady. And her “wish is that violence would end for women and girls around the world.” 01:37:26 Robin Coady/StFX: Lorelei will speak on the Intersectionality of Colonization, Residential Schooling, and MMIWG. 01:37:51 Karri-Lynn Paul: Land acknowledgement for the territory she is on right now 01:38:10 Karri-Lynn Paul: Learn about the lands that you live on 01:38:38 Karri-Lynn Paul: She is dealing with a family emergency - is getting emtional 01:38:53 Karri-Lynn Paul: As you can see I am not speaking my indigenous langugae 01:39:22 Karri-Lynn Paul: He mom went to residential school and did not learn her lanaguiage 01:39:34 Karri-Lynn Paul: Suffer the children book 01:40:41 Karri-Lynn Paul: My last name is Williams - I just learned the colonizers came in and couldn’t pronounce our indigenous name so gave us English first names 01:41:06 Karri-Lynn Paul: She grew up in Vancouver - better - bad things happening on the reserve 01:41:28 Karri-Lynn Paul: Protect her from sexual abuse and alcoholism but it happened here 01:41:38 Karri-Lynn Paul: She was sexually abused her self 01:42:17 Karri-Lynn Paul: At 4 yrs old, she was hiding in the laundromat, they were waiting for a bus - escaping from violence 01:42:35 Karri-Lynn Paul: Her aunt went missing before she was born 01:42:53 Karri-Lynn Paul: I knew that I looked like her - the family missed her 01:43:08 Karri-Lynn Paul: Police would say - you look like your missing aunt 01:43:17 Karri-Lynn Paul: Aunt missing since 1978 01:43:30 Karri-Lynn Paul: Cousin killed by Pickton 01:43:47 Karri-Lynn Paul: Other aunt pushed out of a window 01:43:55 Karri-Lynn Paul: Canada is not perfect 01:44:14 Karri-Lynn Paul: Some people don’t know that we exist her 01:44:30 Karri-Lynn Paul: Not a lot of people know about residential school - 01:44:46 Karri-Lynn Paul: In the book - proves the genocide 01:45:03 Karri-Lynn Paul: Wanted to sue the gov’t for killing her mom 01:45:39 Karri-Lynn Paul: She Died from alcoholism, directly related to residential school 01:45:47 Karri-Lynn Paul: She was scared of the dark 01:46:05 Karri-Lynn Paul: She sleptt on the couch b/c she was traumatized 01:46:25 Karri-Lynn Paul: Canada is racist and our women are killed at a high rate in canada 01:46:39 Karri-Lynn Paul: Historically they were targeting us b/c of our land 01:46:49 Karri-Lynn Paul: Highway of Tear - how do we have that? 01:47:26 Karri-Lynn Paul: I had a point in my life when I had to go on the highway picked up by 2 guys and they asked her if she was drinkgin 01:47:43 Karri-Lynn Paul: Two desperate she had to take the ride 01:48:17 Karri-Lynn Paul: IW came forward police were sexual assaulting them in quebes 01:48:38 Karri-Lynn Paul: Tina Fontaine anther example 01:48:52 Karri-Lynn Paul: Rekltionshsip with the police is so bad 01:49:23 Karri-Lynn Paul: I my missing aunt - she was not listed as missing until 2000 even though she went missing in 1974 01:49:57 Karri-Lynn Paul: Tanya’s case faced with racist police 01:50:17 Karri-Lynn Paul: So much more came up at the Walaope inquiry 01:50:49 Karri-Lynn Paul: Floyd died - 9 Indigenous people died in Canada since then 01:51:09 Karri-Lynn Paul: Chantelle Moore was killed a relative of the Butterflies 01:51:23 Karri-Lynn Paul: Wellness checks are not good for out IW & G 01:51:47 Karri-Lynn Paul: They can get killed, thrown into prison, and children go into care 01:52:01 Karri-Lynn Paul: She testified at the national inquiry twice 01:52:46 Karri-Lynn Paul: Used all her resources to help friend to get out of an abusive relationship and her boyfriend stabbed her and then killed himself 01:52:54 Karri-Lynn Paul: In Whitehorse 01:53:07 Karri-Lynn Paul: In Bc testified about her aunt/cousin 01:53:27 Karri-Lynn Paul: Police ask - “what do you want us to do about this?” 01:53:36 Karri-Lynn Paul: When IW call the police 01:53:43 Karri-Lynn Paul: They are not allowed to ask this 01:54:07 Karri-Lynn Paul: Complain against VPD - friend found in alley - did not get a rape kit done 01:54:22 Karri-Lynn Paul: Asked police why they didn’t get a test 01:55:04 Karri-Lynn Paul: The police said to me - if you think she was raped - call the police 01:55:15 Karri-Lynn Paul: Complaint against RCMP missing aunts case 01:55:28 Karri-Lynn Paul: Tjhe colonial problems - Lisa M 01:55:44 Karri-Lynn Paul: Some Indigenous laws in there as well 01:56:08 Karri-Lynn Paul: Butterflieds in spirit - to honor and bring attention to MMIWG 01:56:34 Karri-Lynn Paul: Starting this dance group she didn’t realize other family members where interested 01:56:56 Karri-Lynn Paul: She wants to go to law school in september 01:57:10 Karri-Lynn Paul: B/c IW are getting criminal records when they don’t have to 01:57:34 Karri-Lynn Paul: Fay mentioned earlier - Criminal records affects som many parts of their live 01:58:27 Robin Coady/StFX: Jeneva Dennis, is Mi'kmaq, from Potlotek First Nation, in NS. She is a proud mother of 2 small children and is in her final year of a Bachelor of Art's majoring in Political Science at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, NS. Jeneva volunteers on campus or in her FN community when she is able and has worked as a summer intern and is a part-time research assistant with the Coady Institute. 01:58:45 Karla Stevens: Martina - What type of Men's Programs are currently being implemented in your community? Are they Culturally Specific? 01:58:46 Robin Coady/StFX: Jeneva will speak on Indigenous women’s safety both on and off campus. 02:00:44 Jeneva Dennis: im going to try my phone 02:03:54 Karri-Lynn Paul: Next week she is hosting medicine camp 02:04:01 Karri-Lynn Paul: Nothing specific for men 02:04:30 Andrea Curley: Karla - do you think the program will see it to the 5 year end, or is covid in the way? And is the program now women initiative only or men too? 02:04:31 Karla Stevens: Q: To Martina: How does sharing women's voices/stories on GBV & SV have an impact on their healing journey? It is positive or negative 02:04:54 Andrea Curley: BTW you’s ALLLLL rock, thank - you for your words!! 02:05:44 Michelle elle/she/ella huronwendat anishinabeg haudenoshonee mis: will the chat be saved in the forum? 02:05:54 Karla Stevens: yes, I am hopeful that this program is sustained through the work of the community facilitators who are in this for their own communities 02:06:21 Karla Stevens: With the guidance of community leaders and community strengths 02:06:27 Sheeba Vijayan: Hi 02:06:58 Karla Stevens: "COSC" will continue to model our previous project and stay specific to their own cultures and traditions in each area 02:07:03 Jacqueline ONeill: Thank you for this session, everyone. These are some very rough points I wanted to share with you: 02:07:53 Jacqueline ONeill: Thank you, Karri-Lynn. Great to see you again. I am amazed at your ability to do these key points in the chat. Thank you, Karla. Thank you, Martina Thank you, Fay Thank you, Lorelei Thank you, Jeneva I’m so honoured to be part of this discussion. I’m joined here by my colleague, John St. Dennis, who works in my office and who I want to be sure you know. John is Metis, and has may decades of experience working on Aboriginal youth programs and advocating on Indigenous issues within government – works with me in our office to do our best to ensure that Indigenous women are listened to - he is going to put our email addresses in the chat o Jacqueline.oneill@international.gc.ca o John.stdennis@international.gc.ca 02:08:19 Karla Stevens: Through Collaboration and networking with what services and supports that are in place 02:08:21 Jacqueline ONeill: “Women, Peace and Security” - - Term that emerged from activism of women from around the world in the late 1990s – including many Indigenous women living around the world o Very different cultures and contexts, but very similar experiences of being excluded from decision-making, esp. issues – that affect their own lives o A big part has been a global movement to re-define security – not centered on whether a government is at war with another government  But being free from an intimate partner beating you in the home  Knowing that your family has a reliable supply of food  Knowing that you and your family are not going to die from a disease that can be treated 02:08:34 Jacqueline ONeill: o It’s also about doing exactly what Karla and Martina and Faye and Lorelei just highlighted  Showing linkages between mining and resource extraction and security • Between changing climate and security and much more  Showing the need for real gender-based analysis that reflects intersectionality  Changing the behaviours of police • Getting justice for past behavior of the police  Making sure that community or grassroots organizations are respected for their leadership (loved hearing about the community smudge, the women’s sweats, and more – and all the ways that you are both healing your communities, and caring for yourselves through connecting with your culture – and dance (loved hearing about that))  About pushing for justice, and moving forward with healing  And above all – pushing for women themselves to have genuine, meaningful roles – in every single aspect of decision-making that affects their lives 02:08:47 Jacqueline ONeill: o The COVID pandemic has highlighted a lot of horrible problems –  Including the extent of systemic racism and discrimination that exist in Canada – as Lorelei talked about so powerfully  Hope it is also revealing: • All the guns and tanks and weapons in the world have been meaningless as we all face the biggest shared threat – that’s a virus o Opportunity/moment ahead of us is to make real changes, not just go back to a status quo  “lessons learned” • Rather say “lessons observed” - Could not be more clear to me that as a government, we have to o Support communities themselves to identify and remove barriers to women’s full participation in issues of peace and security, o genuinely co-create policies, o respect the healing processes need to address historical impacts of a patriarchal and sexist and colonial policies o and respect the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples o -- will lead to better outcomes for all people within Canada. 02:08:59 Jacqueline ONeill: - Don’t have time to describe more fully some of the things that we’re involved in through my office, but really wanted to convey that the gist of what we’re doing is trying to make sure that the voices women, in all their diversity, are genuinely shaping policy and practice at home and around the world. - Thank you for sharing your work, for doing the work. And I hope very much that we can stay in contact. 02:09:27 Jacqueline ONeill: (Sorry for mistakes in the above - I have been taking notes as you talked) 02:10:17 Robin Coady/StFX: Can you share this LinK at the end? https://coady.stfx.ca/indigenous-leadership-for-community-development/iabcd/ Can you share this LinK at the end? https://coady.stfx.ca/indigenous-leadership-for-community-development/iabcd/ 02:10:21 Karla Stevens: Can you also email all the links 02:10:38 Robin Coady/StFX: Circle of Abundance https://secureca.imodules.com/s/650/17/interior.aspx?sid=650&gid=1&pgid=2982&cid=5960 02:11:08 Robin Coady/StFX: Our Keynote listener for this session is Jacqueline O’Neill, Canadian Ambassador for Women, Peace and Security. Jacqueline O’Neill has a bachelor’s degree in commerce from the University of Alberta and a master’s in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Throughout her career, Ms. O’Neill has supported the creation of national strategies and policy frameworks for more than 30 countries, NATO, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and the United Nations. She has helped establish the field of women, peace, and security and its application in governments, security forces, and multilateral organizations. She has advised the Government of Canada on the country’s first and second national action plans on women, peace, and security. As President of the Institute for Inclusive Security, Ms. O’Neill directly supported coalitions of women leaders in Colombia, South Sudan, Sudan, Pakistan, and beyond. Through this work, she advocated for women’s meaningful inclusion in peae 02:11:50 John St. Dennis: Miigwetch to all speakers and organizers