Wilson-Raybould receives Honourary Doctor of Letters

By Marci Becking

NORTH BAY – The Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould (Puglass) received an honourary Doctor of Letters from Nipissing University on June 13 in North Bay.

In her speech to the Faculty of Arts and Science graduates, she had this to say about being true to yourself.

“Importance of knowing oneself. You have experienced highs and lows, tests and challenges in your lives and the reality is that each and every one of you will experience peaks and valleys in life. Knowing myself and where I come from has been a source of courage, resilience to persevere through them.  It’s helped me in challenging and public circumstances. I see who I am, who I was raised to be, and I focussed on keeping choices crisp and clear. When you do not have grounding in roots and values, the potential impacts of life challenges can be more profound. Perhaps knowing yourself has helped you through challenges.”

She set a collective challenge for the audience.

“As Canadians, we are still collectively reflecting on the story of who we are as a country. Only now are we increasing the collective knowledge and having conversations that we need to have to understand who we are as a nation. Specifically, I’m talking about reconciling our history as a country with respect to Indigenous peoples. I always say that I am incredibly proud to be an Indigenous person in this country. I am equally proud to be a Canadian. I believe it is important to recognize that we as a country of Canada have never really known ourselves and therefore, struggled to understand what we can become and what our potential is. We’re still becoming who we are. When Canada was founded, Indigenous peoples were not there; colonization left Indigenous peoples on the outside and moved First Nations onto to reserves, outlawed our traditional forms of governance and laws, attacked our children and family systems. But of course, we are still here. We are always going to be here. First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people with diverse languages, cultures, and traditions and ways of life. Canada did not know itself when it was founded. It did not know this land, who was here, or how it had been stewarded for countless generations. It has been slow progress, but it is changing. And while sometimes it doesn’t feel that way, today I believe we are in a hopeful moment in terms of having true reconciliation. More and more of us are learning our true history, understanding worldviews, and striving to act in ways that support recognition, resurgence, and reconciliation.”

Wilson-Raybould, PC, OBC, KC, is the daughter of a hereditary Chief and she always knew that she would seek leadership roles and responsibilities. As a lawyer, an advocate, and a leader among Indigenous people in Canada, she’s built a strong reputation as a bridge builder and champion of good governance and accountability. She shares her unique perspective as both a community and political leader on topics such as Indigenous rights and reconciliation, democracy and governance, leadership, and justice.

She is a descendant of the Musgagagw Tswataineuk and Laich-Kwil-Tach peoples, which are part of the Kwakwaka’wakw, also known as the Kwak’wala speaking peoples. She is a member of the We Wai Kai Nation with her traditional name, Puglass, which means “woman born to noble people”. She served two terms as an elected councillor for her Nation and was also a director and chair of the First Nations Finance Authority and a director of the First Nations Lands Advisory Board.

Wilson-Raybould was first elected as a Member of Parliament for the new constituency of Vancouver Granville in 2015. She was then appointed the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, making her the first Indigenous person to serve in this portfolio. In January 2019, she was appointed the Minister of Veterans Affairs of Canada and Associate Minister of National Defence, positions she held until she resigned from cabinet in February 2019.

Wilson-Raybould is the author of Indian in the Cabinet:  Speaking Truth to Power, From Where I Stand:  Rebuilding Indigenous Nations for a stronger Canada and her newest book, True Reconciliation:  How to be a force for change.