SRWA Advisory Committee’s First Meeting Offers Knowledge and Encouragement
By Stephanie Thorassie
February 27, 2023
Former National Chief Ovide Mercredi OC recently encouraged the Seal River Watershed Alliance to keep standing up for our lands and our cultures. Making real change for the future, he said, means providing opportunities for our young people today. The proposed Seal River Watershed Indigenous Protected Area and associated Land Guardians program are part of making our communities stronger now and far into the future.
Former National Chief Mercredi shared these words during the first SRWA Advisory Committee meeting in Winnipeg in January. The Advisory Committee helps guide the work of the alliance, offering recommendations to our board of directors as we navigate the path of protecting the watershed.
The committee represents a diverse set of voices, including Elders, youth, and off-reserve members. Many council members are expert land users who have spent their lives advocating for our rights and speaking on behalf of the caribou.
It was an honour to meet with them and feel their love and support.
It was also a lot of fun. There was plenty of laughter throughout the two-day meeting. We even played bingo with categories like “ate moose brisket from the watershed,” “saw wolverine in the watershed,” and “speaks Dene, Cree, and English.”
Amidst the laughter, we had many serious conversations. We shared updates about our recent announcement committing the Government of Canada and Government of Manitoba to conduct a feasibility study of establishing the Indigenous Protected Area in the watershed. The committee was struck by our Nation-to-Nation relationship building. And they celebrated the amount of progress we have been able to achieve.
Click here to see graphic recordings from the meeting.
Placing our sovereignty and inherent rights as Indigenous Peoples at the heart of our work, they said, is how we move forward together.
These themes were echoed by several of the presenters. Steven Nitah, who helped establish the Thaidene Nëné Indigenous Protected Area, said the Lutsel K’e Dene First Nation, the Government of Canada, and the Government of the NWT entered into negotiations as equal partners, each identifying their own roles and responsibilities.
Miles Richardson, OC, talked about the history of the Haida Nation and how they fought to protect large areas of Haida Gwaii, create a constitution for enacting Haida laws, and launch the modern Haida Guardian Watchmen program. He underscored the role Guardians play Nation building.
Having youth in attendance pointed to the future of our Nations. It was beautiful to see how quiet they were at the beginning—often reluctant to speak at the mic—then watch them grow in confidence. One young man’s body language and stature changed from day one to day three, and he started speaking with such self-assurance. The committee gave him the opportunity to be a part of these conversations.
The committee meeting also provided members with a chance to weigh in on new proposals and potential partnerships. Parks Canada, for instance, walked through different designations for possible conservation areas we could enter in to with them. And the National Audubon Society, which already partnered with the SRWA on research, proposed a project for restoring arctic tern habitat within the watershed.
Typically at meetings, people get antsy by the end of the day, but not this group. Everyone wanted to stay and continue the conversations. we had closing comments, the amount of support and positive feedback was overwhelming. It makes all of the hard work worth it when we hear we are on the right track.
We know there will be hard conversation and tough decisions ahead. But the Advisory Committee gives us the support we need to keep going. They are like the powerful aunties behind us, providing the strong foundation we need to weather what lies ahead. We are so grateful for their guidance.
