A Message from the CEO

The last couple months were focused on federal politics and the announcement of the 2021 federal election.

ENGAGING IN ADVOCACY

On August 23, NWAC launched a comprehensive get-out-the-vote campaign aimed at getting Indigenous women and gender-diverse people to the polls. The We’re Done Asking, We’re Voting campaign included a voter’s guide, which outlined where, when, and how to vote; a series of workshops on voting; a priority list; and a scorecard that analyzed the platforms of political parties. All of these resources worked together to encourage Indigenous women, girls, and gender-diverse people to vote and make an informed choice based on their priorities in this election.

This campaign, spanning the latter half of August until election day on September 20, also called for our next government to do better. We were vocal on our expectations for the 44th Canadian Parliament—and we expect to see genuine reconciliation as we move forward with this new government. We spoke in defense of the basic human rights of Indigenous women and gender-diverse people to finally be met by the Canadian government—with clean water in all communities and access to housing, and health care that is free from racism and discrimination.

We will continue to hold the Canadian government accountable and call for immediate action to resolve issues that are most important to Indigenous women, girls, and gender-diverse people.

BUILDING PTMA CAPACITY

Over the last few months, NWAC continued to engage with our provincial and territorial member associations (PTMAs) on several topics, including reviewing NWAC’s bylaws and planning for the developing Resiliency Lodges across the country. Engagement with our PTMAs is central to NWAC’s work. It ensures we are always guided by the needs of Indigenous women, girls, and gender-diverse people at the grassroots level.

We will continue to engage with PTMAs when developing important programs, like the Resiliency Lodge, to ensure we are guided by grassroots engagement in all of our work.

DEVELOPING PARTNERSHIPS

NWAC continues to develop relationships with corporate partners to further support Indigenous women, girls, and gender-diverse people. This month, we engaged with Sephora on a project focused on Indigenous beauty and inclusivity. We also continue to engage with existing partners, including BMO, to develop more programs that provide crucial services to the people we represent.

Both relationships involve projects in the development stage, but we cannot wait to share more with you as we continue to expand our programs and services. The upcoming partnerships we have are exciting, and we are grateful for our partners and the support they are providing us in delivering crucial programs to Indigenous women, girls, and gender-diverse people.

NWAC TEAM

As NWAC continues to grow, so does our team. Over the last couple months, NWAC was hiring to fill numerous positions across departments to increase our capacity to support Indigenous women, girls, and gender-diverse people. We also continue to support our staff by offering staff on-the-land meetings at the Resiliency Lodge for each department. These on-the-land meetings give staff the opportunity to meet face-to-face and engage with each other.

IN THIS EDITION…

In this edition of Shining the Spotlight, read more about our election campaign, as well as upcoming projects such as the Sexually Transmitted and Blood Borne Infections (STBBI) Project. Also in this issue is an article from NWAC’s legal department on the recently passed Bill C-15, An Act respecting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

We hope you enjoy reading about the work NWAC has done in this month’s issue of Shining the Spotlight.

Miigwetch, Thank you, Merci,

Lynne Groulx