For true reconciliation, Indigenous youth must be given the space to lead

On National Indigenous Peoples Day, Indigenous communities celebrated their languages, cultures and futures. At this time, we often look to Indigenous youth as the inheritors of a bright future made possible if our governments, institutions and all Canadians commit to a pathway to reconciliation.

As the fastest-growing population in what we now call Canada, they are not only future leaders of policy, industry, education, advocacy and their respective communities, but they are the leaders of today.

We must centre their voices and ensure they have a seat at the table in order to rebuild the table.

Currently, Bill C-29 (an act to establish a national council for reconciliation) is making its way through the Senate, and its passing would address Calls 53 to 56 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action.

In essence, this bill would create an oversight body to monitor and report on the progress of reconciliation. But in order for this council to be truly effective, Indigenous youth must be consulted on its development and be empowered to lead and participate in its work.

As the executive director of Canadian Roots Exchange, a national Indigenous youth-led organization, I have the privilege of working for brilliant young people who are dynamic leaders in their vibrant communities — their power to effect change is limitless. Yet often, Indigenous youth are shunted to the periphery, asked to form advisory groups with no direct voice in the work of reconciliation.

In 2022, we convened 183 Indigenous youth to make recommendations on Canada’s United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) action plan, and many conveyed the same message: there is a fundamental lack of trust in the federal government’s ability to hear youth voices.

They have seen governments make promises about reconciliation and then fall short on taking tangible action. Boil water advisories in Indigenous communities were not resolved in the Liberal government's first five years in power and the party's own strategy on Indigenous housing is not projected to be fulfilled within the next century. It is also important to note that no more than 13 of the 94 Calls to Action have been fulfilled since their introduction in 2015, though nearly 46 are currently in progress.

The National Council for Reconciliation could be an opportunity to change this and establish the Indigenous-led oversight our youth have been asking for — and, with their participation, may eventually result in the concrete changes they seek for their communities.

We need the representation and leadership of (but not limited to) Indian residential school survivors, Indigenous youth and individuals from the 2SLGBTQ+ community to ensure the council’s long-term success.

This diversity of thought will help sustain innovative thinking and guide policy practices over the many years this work will necessarily take, even through changes in government.

But there is also a deeper reason: this work is legacy work that will affect the next seven generations.

“Seven generational thinking” is a Haudenosaunee philosophical teaching that examines how the work Indigenous Peoples do today to create a sustainable world has been influenced by the wisdom of the generations before us, and will impact youth in future generations.

It is a bundle that has been passed down from our ancestors, and it is our collective responsibility to provide support, guidance and clear the pathways so the next generation can secure this bundle as well.

Realistically, by the time Bill C-29 gets through the chambers of government, our current youth will not be youth anymore. But the work of reconciliation is generational. We all now have the chance to honour the voices, knowledge and leadership of Indigenous youth, and help them shape the future.

Centring their voices could look like extending your governance structures to incorporate an effective and active youth advisory mechanism, creating reciprocal exchanges of knowledge, or donating to their organizations and efforts as they continue to steward the meaningful work of reconciliation. This is a collective responsibility we all share.

As a country, we all need to be supporting and creating better opportunities for Indigenous youth to be centred in the discussions that will fundamentally affect them, and therefore supporting the next seven generations.

Hillory Tenute Gi Chi’noodinkwe Aapti Beebom N’gigikwe (She/Her/They/Them), is an Anishinaabekwe with settler descent from the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation located in Neyaashiinigmiing, Ont., part of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation Territory in what we now call Canada. Hillory is the executive director (“Executive Auntie”) at Canadian Roots Exchange (CRE), a national Indigenous youth-led organization that provides reconciliation-based programs, grants and opportunities designed to strengthen and amplify the voices of Indigenous youth across Turtle Island.