Big Thinking at Congress 2021
Yáázǫ Kéorat’ı̨ (We see the daylight)
Blondin-Andrew discusses how clean water, good jobs, and active participation in diverse local economies through Indigenous-led conservation are pathways to healthy futures for land and for people.
As a Dene child, Ethel fled Grollier Hall residential school to live in a “tent town.” Years later, she earned an education degree at the University of Alberta and taught in three NWT communities, eventually specializing in Indigenous language curriculum development in Yellowknife. Ethel marshaled her courage and continued on to become the first Indigenous woman elected to Parliament, serving for 17 years as a Member of Parliament, 13 of them in Cabinet. In 2019, Ms. Blondin-Andrew received the Maclean’s “Lifetime Achievement Award.”