Thank you.
You know, I feel like I'm going to likely harp on the same types of messages. I've been able to connect with indigenous communities from across the country. This afternoon I heard from an indigenous leader who was from just outside Winnipeg. It's a very similar context in the sense that it's more of an urban-based reality.
For me, coming back to the whole idea of land back, it really is about that assertion of decision-making authorities over land. How is that community being supported to assert their decision-making authority over their lands? How are they being resourced to be in an empowered position to do so? From my experience, things like the guardians program give tools back to communities to be in that position, to be the eyes and ears of their own land. That then informs the resource decision-making around their territories, but it also enables them to have an empowered voice when dealing with other levels of government.
For me, for all of the communities I've engaged with, programs like guardians can empower that conversation and empower that dialogue, but for all the indigenous communities that I've ever worked with, it really comes back to the decision-making authority. How are they being empowered to be resourced to assert their decision-making within their home territory?