Indigenous rights conference returns with renewed purpose
The Indigenous Consultation & Engagement Atlantic conference returns to Halifax, Oct. 22-23, with numerous workshops on important topics, such as this one from last year’s event that included (from left) Karen Augustine, from Mi’gmawe’l Tplu’taqnn Inc.; Dean Vicaire, from Mi’kmaw Organization Mi’gmawe’l Tplu’taqnn; Kristie Halka-Glazier, from Mi’gmawe’l Tplu’taqnn Inc.; and Claire Harris, from NB Power. Photo: Canadian Institute
As Reconciliation reshapes Canada’s legal and cultural landscape, the Canadian Institute annual conference on Indigenous Consultation & Engagement Atlantic returns with a sharper focus on collaboration, education, and real-world impact.
The conference – now in its ninth year – is set for Oct. 22-23, in Halifax. This year’s co-chairs are Renée Pelletier, senior partner at Olthuis, Kleer, Townshend LLP, and Houston Barnaby, founding partner of Balasm: Indigenous Reconciliation, Education & Advisory Inc.
Having attended every iteration of the conference, Pelletier emphasized the importance of hearing directly from government and industry. For First Nation participants, she noted, it’s often eye-opening to uncover shared goals and challenges.
“The Canadian Institute would probably say it’s a good opportunity to bring people together, to hear from leading experts and practitioners,” Pelletier said. “My experience, though, has been: it’s an opportunity to bring people together. Yes, to hear the speakers, but also just to have an exchange of ideas.”
Barnaby, a member of the Listuguj Mi’gmaq First Nation, offers a complementary lens grounded in legal advocacy and education. He views the conference as a platform to advance dialogue on Indigenous rights and jurisdiction.
“It’s about emphasizing that nation-to-nation relationship, which is very unique in Canada,” Barnaby explained. “We live in a multipolar jurisdiction, and highlighting that complexity is progress in itself.”
Tackling Reconciliation Realities
Hosted by the Canadian Institute, the conference has grown into a multi-day event drawing around 100 participants. The agenda spans topics from economic development and legal frameworks to community engagement and interjurisdictional co-operation.
With Reconciliation increasingly prioritized by governments and institutions, Pelletier said the event seeks to harness that momentum. That said, she acknowledges there is still work to be done.
She also noted that while provincial and federal governments are more receptive, some industry players – especially international ones – still require education on Indigenous engagement.
“I will say, in over 20 years now, we’ve come a long way for sure. But we’re not at the point yet where it is a given and people are all sort of very freely and willingly coming to the table,” Pelletier said. “There are some who are coming kicking and screaming a little bit, which is still unfortunate, but hopefully that continues to change.”
One of the challenges the co-chairs face is tailoring the conference’s message to a diverse audience. Attendees range from seasoned professionals to newcomers grappling with Indigenous consultation for the first time. Barnaby, who co-chaired last year’s event, believes the key lies in storytelling.
And while Barnaby echoed Pelletier’s sentiment around the “kicking and screaming,” he did add that the term Reconciliation often triggers positive responses. But even so, its full meaning remains elusive to many.
“That positive connotation – it’s probably 85-15 – but it’s about flushing out what that really means,” Barnaby said. “We all have a part to play now, depending on who you are. If you’re a health care regulator or an international gold mine, our responsibilities are different. And so unpacking all of those and highlighting that for the respective audience is where all the work needs to happen.”
Value of Real-World Stories
Drawing on his first experience with last year’s event, Barnaby said the goals of the conference can seem “sort of nebulous” from the outside.
But when people are attending the sessions, they’re hearing from experts who have real world experience. It’s about learning from their case studies, Barnaby said, learning from how given situations worked in the real world.
“The real-world examples make it tangible, and it helps everyone in the room, regardless of whether you’re attending and grappling with Reconciliation or consultation or engagement for the first time or you’ve been doing it for 10 years,” Barnaby said. “There’s always something to learn from those who are sharing their real-world examples.”
For her part, Pelletier said what she has always found to be “really great” about the conference is the willingness of people to come and admit that they didn’t know what they were doing when they started.
Attendees, she said, aren’t always experts. She hopes that makes first-time attendees unsure of how to proceed feel more comfortable about what they don’t yet know.
Pelletier recounts a story about a corporate representative who initially approached a First Nation council, anticipating a routine meeting. Instead, that person was told, “A relationship is built on a hundred cups of coffee – and this is our first.”
Pelletier said the story illustrates that Reconciliation is a journey rooted in patience, respect, and shared learning. That moment proved transformative, leading to a strong partnership later celebrated on stage.
“She talked about how that was really humbling for her. And they’ve got this great relationship now with the First Nation and she was up there on stage with the First Nation partner,” Pelletier said. “It was just really nice, too, that the presentation was about these case studies that acknowledged that this is where we started and here are the steps we took to get to where we are.”
Rising Recognition of Indigenous Rights
Pelletier noted that the conference agenda has evolved over the years, shifting from basic consultation frameworks to more complex topics such as economic development and legal reform. The conference now features a wide array of speakers, including legal experts, technicians, chiefs, and industry leaders.
Pelletier credited the Canadian Institute for keeping pace with legal and societal changes, including the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
“You’ve got not just a bunch of lawyers, not that it was ever just a bunch of lawyers,” Pelletier said, “I feel like there’s a really good range of technicians, legal experts, politicians, chiefs, people from industry. Definitely a really good range. Even more so than in the beginning.”
Barnaby hasn’t been with the conference as long as Pelletier, but he offered a broader legal perspective on the shift. He pointed to landmark decisions like Haida Nation v. British Columbia as pivotal moments that forced governments and industry to engage more meaningfully with Indigenous communities.
“The courts were – rightfully so – interpreting the relationship sometimes in favour and strengthening the position of Indigenous Peoples in this country and the strengths and legitimacy of their treaties,” Barnaby said. “Now the momentum is more collaborative than it is being forced in the courts. Of course, when we have disagreements, we do what we have to do. But the conversations are a lot more progressive and fruitful than they were 10, 15 years ago.”
Listen, Reflect, Take Action
As the conference readies for a national audience, Barnaby and Pelletier shared their hopes for participants’ key takeaways.
Barnaby stressed the need for sincere, open engagement in Reconciliation efforts.
“We would want people to come to the understanding that intention is important,” he said. “If your intention is in the right place and you’re willing to listen and learn from your Indigenous partners, then you can only succeed.”
Pelletier underscored the need for attendees to approach the conference with openness and a readiness to listen and learn. Sometimes, she said, people do a lot of work on coming up with what – from their perspective – is the ideal engagement plan. They have the best intentions, but it’s just not working.
“I invite them to come ready to listen with their ears open and then ready to take the feedback and reflect on what they’ve heard,” Pelletier said. “Maybe that means going back and saying, OK, I thought that I had designed this thing that was going to work, I just heard some feedback that it’s not going to work. I’m going to take what I heard and make some changes … implement some of what they learned to help them in the work that they’re doing.” MW
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Sean Meyer is digital content editor for Municipal World.
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