As the former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada as well as the daughter of a hereditary chief and an Indigenous leader, the Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould is often asked “what can I do to help advance reconciliation?” This is what she strives to answer as a keynote speaker and as the bestselling author of True Reconciliation: How to be a Force for Change.
Jody recently joined us as part of our “Inside Our Boardroom” series to discuss her career as a high-profile politician and Indigenous leader as well as the role we all play, individually and collectively, in moving reconciliation forward, including what actions have the most impact.
Enjoy the video Q&A below and contact us to learn more about Jody and what she can bring to your next event as a compelling keynote speaker.
Answers have been edited for length and clarity.
Navigating Personal Challenge
Speakers Spotlight: You’ve faced your fair share of challenges throughout your career. How did you find the strength and courage to tackle them head-on?
The Hon. Jody Wilson-Raybould: It’s rooted in how I was raised, knowing I had a role to play, and, in my case, a leadership role in our community. I was always taught that you had to use your skills to contribute and improve quality of life. So, it’s those learnings and teachings that I’ve carried throughout my different experiences.
I’m incredibly proud to be an Indigenous person in this country, and I’m equally proud to be a Canadian. My approach to leadership and challenge has been with that backdrop and what that represents — living in both worlds, having to continue to live in both world, and, most importantly, how to bridge between them.
Some of the challenges for me from very early on was recognizing that individuals and people treated me differently simply because I was Indigenous. That has been one of my biggest challenges, but also one of the greatest opportunities — it’s an opportunity for all of us to question, how do we bridge different worldviews? We all have to do our part to overcome these challenges of exclusion, discrimination, and racism. It starts by understanding different lived experiences and realities and breaking down those barriers. I look back at the various roles I’ve played, and see successes but also constant reminders that we still have a long way to go.
Jody speaks more to the challenges she has faced in the video below, and the guiding principles that helped her best navigate them.
Moving Reconciliation Forward
SpSp: What is the government’s role in moving reconciliation forward?
JWR: Sometimes the process of getting to a destination is more important than the destination itself. And I think this applies to this word that we are increasingly using, which is reconciliation. It’s somewhat of an overused word, and in its overuse, there are many different meanings that people ascribe to it.
The dictionary definition of “reconciliation” means getting back to a proper relationship. But for many Indigenous peoples in this country, there was never a proper relationship with non-Indigenous peoples. My experience in government and with the reality of how change happens — how we can be on that path to create constructive change — does not happen through changing laws and policies. Although that’s important, what I’ve experienced is that social change happens like a thief in the night. Change is made when individuals, in their own lives and their own realities, have discussions and realize that there is injustice and then act upon that.
More and more, I’ve witnessed that Canadians are increasingly more interested in reconciliation, and not just interested but wanting to understand it and their part in it. What we need, as my sister likes to call it, is accomplices, or what I like to call it, inbetweeners — people that are going to get involved and break down the silos that exist between and among us. And we’re on that path. There is some constructive change happening, and we just need to continue to build on that.
The roles we all have to play in reconciliation, as individuals and collectively as governments and Indigenous nations, are different. But, we all need to ensure that we get our own houses in order and recognize the roles that we play. For governments, that’s to change laws, policies, and practices to deconstruct the colonial reality that exists for Indigenous peoples in this country.
Jody expands on the role of governments in moving reconciliation forward in the video below:
SpSp: What can individuals do to advance reconciliation?
JWR: In very recent years, there has been an awakening. People are wanting to do more and to read more. So, one of the things I encourage people to do is exactly that — read the reports and histories, as well as Indigenous authors.
There’s a lot of confusion around what reconciliation means, and what is a true act of reconciliation. Governments are the guiltiest of this because they label everything as an act of reconciliation, and when one does that, it effectively means that nothing is reconciliation. Lowering a flag or wearing an orange t-shirt or declaring a new national holiday is in the same vein as lifting a child out of poverty or enabling an Indigenous community to exercise jurisdiction over the education of their own children. All actions are not equal and not everything amounts to reconciliation. So I understand why there’s a lot of confusion out there. This is what happens when something that has been an ongoing challenge for generations is foregrounded for society in a relatively short period of time.
The legacy of colonialism and the reality of Indigenous peoples has been here since before the country was formed. It’s only now that we’re being bombarded with different actions, beliefs, and words about what reconciliation actually means. So, sifting through that is difficult. That’s why I say start with education. Start with meeting and being in spaces where there are Indigenous peoples.
Hear more about what individuals can do to contribute to a just future for all in the video below:
SpSp: What role does the education system play in reconciliation?
JWR: Unlocking the potential of all children is how we ensure our future success, and we’re on our way to that. There’s a lot of resources for the general Canadian public, in particular the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples; the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report; the murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls report, which has a huge amount of historical background attached to it; and the lived experiences of residential school survivors. These are really important educational resources that I would encourage everyone to look at it.
I love talking to educators. My mother is a teacher and continues to be my most important teacher. Teachers have the direct ability to shape young people and how they think. For Indigenous peoples, we’re not quite there yet, although there has been a lot of improvement in the educational system, which has its roots in colonial history, in children being forcibly removed from their communities, and forced to attend residential schools.
One of the things that Indigenous communities want, and rightfully so, in my opinion, is to take control over the education of their children. This has led to the creation of many First Nations schools. In the general school system, there has also been a lot of change. There’s requirements in provinces that there be Indigenous components to learning, that there be a required teaching of the history and the contemporary reality of Indigenous peoples, and that’s progress. Teachers play a huge role in changing realities and changing the status quo, this is how it starts.
Jody dives deeper into the role the education system and educators play in breaking down silos and sparking societal change in the video below, as well as the importance behind Indigenous peoples having control over the education of their children.
Book the Hon. Jody Wilson-Raybould for Your Next Event
SpSp: What’s next for you?
JWR: I’m writing another book. It’s something that I’ve been thinking about writing simply by virtue of the lessons I’ve learned throughout the leadership roles I’ve played. It’s about the “inbetween” leader and the various characteristics of a leader that can create the space for generational change. Some of those traits are obviously being able to speak the truth, hold true to the nature of one’s integrity, and find meaning and purpose in your actions and a plan to achieve them. So, that’s something that I’m working on right now.
As a politician, lawyer, advocate, and leader among Canada’s Indigenous Peoples, the Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould has built a strong reputation as a bridge builder and champion of good governance and accountability. As a keynote speaker, she shares her unique perspective as both a community and political leader on topics such as Indigenous rights and reconciliation, democracy and governance, leadership, and justice.
Contact us to learn more about Jody and how to book her to speak at your next event.
