SENATORS’ STATEMENTS — Voices of Youth Indigenous Leaders
October 30, 2024
Honourable senators, I rise today to welcome the participants of this year’s Voices of Youth Indigenous Leaders. We have previously hosted this event in June for National Indigenous History Month, a time to honour and learn about the diverse First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities from coast to coast to coast.
But colleagues, I think we can all agree that these celebrations and conversations can and must continue year-round. As a former teacher, I know that we have so much to learn from the younger generations.
This week, we have another cohort of young Indigenous leaders doing great work in their communities, and I’m pleased to acknowledge three of these inspiring individuals.
Crystal Starr Lewis is an advocate and youth leader from Vancouver and the Squamish Nation. She is an elected youth representative for the British Columbia Assembly of First Nations, and she became a first-generation speaker of her language through Simon Fraser University. Crystal is a leader on anti-trafficking initiatives, and she is working to create a consulting agency that will provide anti-human trafficking prevention training within Indigenous communities. She was recently invited to the United Nations in Geneva where she provided policy recommendations on this issue and spoke on two panels.
Brett Recollet is Anishinaabe from the Whitefish River First Nation on Manitoulin Island. He has travelled to Ottawa this week from Sudbury, Ontario, where he is an Indigenous support worker for a school board. Brett has a long record of serving in youth leadership roles. It started with his election to his high school student council at age 14. Since then, he has served on various councils and committees at a community, provincial and national level. He was an inaugural member of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s youth council, and he has served on the board of directors for Mental Health Research Canada. He plans to continue his education with a graduate degree focusing on cultural safety within Indigenous education. Brett credits his mother, his sister and his grandmother with teaching him strong leadership skills.
Reanna Merasty McKay is a Nihithaw or “Woodland Cree” artist, writer and advocate from Barren Lands First Nation in northern Manitoba. She has a Master of Architecture and a Bachelor of Environmental Design from the University of Manitoba. She is interning with Number TEN Architectural Group in Winnipeg, working for and with Indigenous communities to bring their stories and histories to life through architecture. Reanna also serves as the Manitoba director on the board of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada and as a member of the University of Manitoba’s Board of Governors. In 2023, she was named the Youth First Nations Indspire Award Laureate.
Please welcome our wonderful Indigenous youth leaders.
Honourable senators, I am thrilled to rise today and pay tribute to the eight participants of Voices of Youth Indigenous Leaders 2024.
While this important annual event is now in its eighth edition, it is my first time being involved since my appointment last year.
It has been said that a leader is someone who steps forward. I am honoured to meet these visionary leaders as a member of the Standing Senate Committee on Indigenous Peoples. Our conversations have already reconfigured my imagination of what can be for Indigenous people and all Canadians in general, and the day is not over yet.
I am learning much from these incredible leaders, including Ethan Paul and Faithe McGuire, whom I will introduce to you now.
Ethan Paul is Mi’kmaw from Membertou First Nation in Nova Scotia. With a passion for politics and empowering Indigenous youth, Ethan served on the Membertou Youth Chief & Council, as well as youth councils and committees for Cuso International, Good Neighbours Canada and Students on Ice. Later, he launched the Membertou Youth Network and founded a sexual and reproductive rights-themed book club with Oxfam Canada, focusing on Indigiqueer, Two-Spirit and Indigenous women authors.
Earlier this year, Ethan represented the United Nations Association in Canada as a youth delegate in the 2024 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.
Faithe McGuire joins us from Paddle Prairie Metis Settlement in Treaty 8 territory in Alberta. She is a documentary filmmaker, photographer and storyteller who captures the stories and histories of her people, the Métis, who were long known as the “forgotten people.” Faithe struggled with this label personally, which is still deeply felt among the youth in her community. By digging deep into Indigenous history and her family stories of the Sixties Scoop era, she grounded her identity through Métis history, culture and tradition. Faithe seeks to help Métis youth better understand who they are and where they come from through her films.
Honourable colleagues, these young Indigenous leaders deserve our recognition and gratitude for their incredible work. Please join me in giving them a warm welcome. Thank you. Wela’lioq.
