2023 Agenda
Research and Transformative Change:
Principles, Practices, and Possibilities
səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish) Territory
North Vancouver, BC
October 24, 25, 26, 2023
Questions about our Slido for Q&A? Email [email protected] and we’ll help!
AGENDA
Day 1 – October 24, 2023: Expanded Remedies and Relationships to Evidence and Research
| 8:00 am – 8:45 am | Conference Registration, Breakfast |
| 8:45 am – 10:00 am | Opening TBD, səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Overview of agenda and day’s proceedings Jody Woods (UBCIC) Overview of interview feedback tool (Virtual and Onsite) Slido Morgan Chapman and Cheyenne Smith BC Showcase – Treaty 8 Treaty Land Entitlement Specific Claim Settlement Moderator: Morgan Chapman, Havlik Consulting Group (HCG) Chief Rudy Paquette of Saulteau First Nations, Cheyenne Smith (HCG) and James Hickling (Hickling Harrison Law Corp.) will discuss the Nation’s recent Treaty 8 Treaty Land Entitlement settlement. The settlement resolves Saulteau’s long-standing claim that their First Nation did not receive all the lands owed to them under Treaty 8, to which they adhered in 1914. |
| 10:00 am – 10:15 am | Break – Refreshments provided |
| 10:15 am – 11:15 am | Integrating Indigenous Laws in the Proposed Independent Specific Claims Resolution Centre (ISCRC) Moderator: Judy Wilson This is the first in a series of panels that will focus on expanded or alternate remedies for claims as informed by Indigenous laws and their relationship to evidence. A New Independent Process to Resolve Claims that Includes Indigenous Laws in All Aspects of Resolution Kathleen Lickers (VIRTUAL) External Legal Counsel to the Assembly of First Nations This presentation would include introductory remarks to discuss basic principles and functions in the AFN proposal for a new independent specific claims resolution centre with a focus on the transformative aspect of the inclusion of Indigenous Laws. How Incorporating Indigenous Laws May Impact and be Informed by Research Methodologies Su-taxwiye (Dr. Sarah Morales), University of Victoria Dr. Morales will speak to how research practice may be implicated when the resolution process is broadened or defined according to Indigenous legal protocols or principles. It may include a discussion of Indigenous research methodologies (i.e. how “best practices” could be redefined/broadened by community protocols), how weight currently given to archival records v. oral history evidence could shift or become more equivalent), how data sovereignty could impact access to records. |
| 11:15 am – 12:30 pm | Expanded Remedies: Community Engagement, Land Return and Impacts on Research Moderator: Shannon Williams, NNTC Continuing from this morning’s discussions, this panel will explore expanded remedies, including the return of land and the importance of community engagement. Land Back: Restitution of Lands in the Specific Claims Policy Shiri Pasternak This presentation will focus on understanding expanded remedies, such as the return of land, and its relationship to research and evidence. Researching and Incorporating Intangible Losses into Claims Submissions, Alternative Remedies Rachel Singleton-Polster This presentation will be focused on sharing the UBCIC publication, “Severed Connections: The Unacknowledged Costs of Specific Claims.” This project looks at the harms that have occurred as a direct result of colonialism and which cannot be undone. We know that restitution appropriate to those harms must be fully explored and guided by those who continue to live with the effects of those harms: First Nations themselves. This presentation will focus on initiating a broader conversation about the full scope of losses that Indigenous Peoples are working to overcome. Land Back: The Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke’s approach to the resolution of land grievances Francis Walsh This presentation will provide an overview of the community consultation process that was carried out within the context of the Seigneury of Sault St. Louis land grievance negotiations. The community has identified land back as being required for the resolution of the SSSL land grievance and this position has helped inform other MCK action in the field of specific claims/land grievances, including our Supreme Court of Canada intervention in Southwind, the AFN/Canada specific claims reform process and the federal UNDRIP Action Plan. The presentation will also review some of the challenges associated with the return of lands within the context of an agreement with the province of Quebec for the expansion of a highway and resulting litigation taken by neighbouring municipalities. |
| 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm | Lunch provided |
| 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm | Oral History, Community Evidence, and Indigenous Laws in Support of Expanded Remedies Moderator: Rebecca Sinclair This panel continues our morning exploration into the relationship between expanded or alternate remedies for claims as informed by Indigenous laws and their relationship to evidence. Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation Oral History Project Councillor Randall Roulette, Hank Richard, Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation & Sylvie Canning, First Peoples Law This presentation provides an overview of the Sandy Bay Oral History Project as a key approach to the development of specific claims. Researchers will highlight the benefits of traditional storytelling in the pursuit of justice and intergenerational healing. University of Victoria Indigenous Laws Field School, Ye’yumnuts Project Dr. Sarah Morales, University of Victoria Picking up on the overall workshop theme of Research and Transformative Change: Principles, Practices, and Possibilities, the presentation will discuss land based and experiential learning and the importance that this work and the truths it uncovers are grounded in place and experience. Dr. Morales will describe the University of Victoria Indigenous Laws Field School, Ye’yumnuts Project and discuss how these teachings must become part of legal education and how Indigenous Laws can be/must be incorporated into Canadian processes and institutions – beyond Canada’s limited (willfully limited?) nod to ceremony and oral history only. Two students form this years field school will share their experiences and how this transformed them. |
| 3:00 pm – 3:15 pm | Break – Refreshments provided |
| 3:15 pm – 4:15 pm | Collecting and Presenting Evidence Using Technological Tools Moderator: Shannon Williams, NNTC This panel will present various technological options for filming and recording community information for specific claims submissions and will provide a hands-on demonstration of creating videos and spatial data to include in claims submissions. Film as a Tool for Specific Claims Research: A Practical Introduction to Filmmaking Kits Angie Bain, UBCIC researcher Angie Bain’s presentation will provide practical recommendations for the use of technology in the development and presentation of specific claims. The technological options Angie will cover range from simple field kits (e.g. a cellphone and tablet) to dedicated audio and video equipment for sit-down interviews. Including Video and Drone Footage and GIS in Specific Claims Submissions: Nlaka’pamux Nation Tribal Council (NNTC): Serena Hunsbedt, Lead Researcher; Jenny Donlan, GIS Specialist; and Shannon Williams, Legal and Research Director The NNTC researchers will provide a practical demonstration of the video and drone filming and the GIS mapping techniques they include as part of their claims submissions. This session will include a presentation of the final videos, a demonstration of the post-production video editing software they use to create the videos, and a step-by-step demonstration of the use of GIS to combine historical and current maps and other spatial data researchers may want to include in their claims. |
| 4:15 pm – 4:30 pm | Announcements/Housekeeping Morgan Chapman Door prize draw Closing Nick George səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) |
| 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm | BC Showcase (Optional Activity) Moderator Allison Eccleston Movie Screening: Unceded Chiefs, introduced by the film’s Creator and Director, Secwépemc filmmaker Doreen Manuel. Popcorn, chips and pop provided |
Day 2 – October 25, 2023: Resources for Research and Claim Development
| 8:30 am – 9:00 am | Conference Registration, Breakfast |
| 9:00 am – 9:30 am | Opening Shamensut Amanada Nahanee Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw Overview of agenda and day’s proceedings Jody Woods, UBCIC BC Showcase Documentary Film “The Land is the Culture: A Case for BC Indian Land Claims produced by Fred Cawsey, Keith Bradbury & Gundar Lipsbergs for UBCIC (1975)” The Land is the Culture is a 30-minute documentary film directed by Vancouver journalist Fred Cawsey with the assistance of the UBCIC in 1975. The film took six months to make and UBCIC distributed copies to communities and Indian Affairs district offices throughout British Columbia. |
| 9:30 am – 10:15 am | Access to Records – Challenges and Solutions Moderator: Peter Di Gangi, Sicani Research This session will begin with an overview of the NCRD submission to ATI and Privacy Act legislative reviews in 2022. The panel will then discuss current challenges researchers are experiencing with informal requests for records in 2023 as well as Canada’s responses and some external solutions and tools. Discussions on day three can focus on understanding these challenges, especially from the perspective of researchers and communities who are experiencing them as a way to consider the role of a Resource Hub in a new independent specific claims resolution centre. Informal Access to Information at CIRNAC and ISC: Issues and Outcomes to Date and Responses from Canada Morgan Chapman, Havlik Consulting Group Darlene Bess (VIRTUAL) Chief Finances, Results and Delivery Officer Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada The CRU members will provide a brief update on this year’s efforts to reconvene the CRU/CIRNAC ATI Working Group, and introduce key CIRNAC representative Darlene Bess to the NCRW Attendees. Overview of “Secret Canada”: The Globe and Mail’s ATIP Project and Portal Tom Cardoso (VIRTUAL), The Globe and Mail This presentation will provide an overview of the “Secret Canada” project and database. |
| 10:15 am – 10:30 am | Break – Refreshments provided |
| 10:30 am – 11:30 am | Record Repositories: Initiatives, Tools, and Partnerships Moderator: Alison McBride, ANS This is the first in a series of panels that will explore challenges and advances in obtaining and managing historical records. It will provide updates and set the stage for discussions on day three that consider how a resource hub in an independent claims resolution centre could support initiatives or address challenges related to specific claims. Library and Archives Canada: Access Initiatives and Updates Andrew Ross, A/Director of Client Services, Access and Services Branch, Library and Archives Canada LAC will provide update on access initiatives, internships etc. New Tools for Working with RG 10 Jason Friedman, Heritage Services, Canadian Research Knowledge Network This presentation will provide an overview of CRKN’s Intelligent Character Recognition RG10 pilot project, which aims to improve discoverability within the Héritage collection (heritage.canadiana.ca). Jason will discuss the origin of the project, a progress update, and a sneak peak at some early results. Algonquin Nation Secretariat and Community Partnerships to Support Digitization of Community Archives Dominic Lafontaine, Timiskaming First Nation Annie Presseault, Algonquin Nation Secretariat This presentation will provide an overview of a digitization project that is allowing for Algonquin communities to digitize their records – a discussion of how projects like these can be funded. |
| 11:30 am – 12:00 pm | #DataBack: Asserting and Supporting Indigenous Data Sovereignty Moderator: Rebecca Sinclair Jeff Doctor (VIRTUAL) Animikii This presentation will explore what it means to get our digital data back. It will discuss how we can build our own software, host our own digital data, assert our digital sovereignty – and the responsibilities we take on when doing so. |
| 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm | Lunch provided |
| 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm | Building Capacity to Obtain and Preserve Evidence Moderator: James Lasaga, Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq A look at what communities, CRU archives and likeminded organisations are doing to improve their access to and management of records for claims. Moderator can frame these discussions in terms of how community or CRU archives can connect to or possibly be supported by the resource hub. Managing Historical Information: Unmarked Burials and Missing Children Dr. Tricia Logan, University of British Columbia Survivors and Indigenous communities across Canada are leading research to deepen searches for missing children and unmarked burials affiliated with the residential school and Indian hospital systems in Canada. Efforts are community and nation-led and rely on access and control over records of the schools. This presentation will discuss ongoing negotiations for just and respectful control over terms of data sovereignty that surround the pursuit for better records access and also govern the incoming data, as research and investigations expand. What Happens Next? Evidence Meets the Real World Peter Di Gangi, Sicani Research This presentation will explore what happens to evidentiary materials once the claim or court case is settled (or not), or once your research team retires, what happens to the data and how will it be used? Hudson Bay Archives Michelle Rydz, Hudson’s Bay Company Archives. This presentation will discuss HBCA’s large-scale microfilm digitization of pre-1870 records that were kept at almost five hundred Hudson’s Bay Company posts. Additional records that may be of use in land claims research that have been digitized will be highlighted. This presentation will also touch on maps, as well other records from the twentieth century that document HBC’s continued involvement in land development, leasing and sales. |
| 2:00 pm – 2:15 pm | Break – Refreshments Provided |
| 2:15 pm – 3:30 pm | Research and Development Funding: Updates and Impacts Moderators: Jody Woods, Morgan Chapman (CRU Working Group Representatives) Presentation and data In this session, the moderators will provide an update on funding issues outlining current challenges with funding to support the research and development of claims and Canada’s responses. Representatives from two impacted First Nations will share their experiences. Impacts of Funding Denial – Two Communities Reflect Councillor Carl Kennedy, Little Pine First Nation Chief Lynn Acoose & Counsellor Paula Acoose, Zagimē Anishinabēk First Nation |
| 3:30 pm – 4:15 pm | Updates from the Specific Claims Branch and Negotiation Support Directorate Moderator Morgan Chapman Stefan Matiation, Director General, Specific Claims Branch Roxanne Gagne, Director General, Negotiation Support Directorate (VIRTUAL) |
| 4:15 pm | Announcements/Housekeeping Jody Woods Door prize draw Closing Remarks Chief Dalton Silver (Chair, BC Specific Claims Working Group Closing Shamensut Amanada Nahanee Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw |
| 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm | Guided Bus tour of Xwayxway (Taking attendees to the Banquet) Guided Bus Tour of Stanley Park, the location of a historic village and many archaeological sites (limited space) – Tour Guide – Sqeqəyaʖ (Christie Charles) |
| 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm | Meeting and Greet and Casual Dinner – Vancouver Aquarium Featuring: Tsatsu Stalkqayu’s (Coastal Wolfpack) A traditional Salish song and dance group, the group consists of over 25 male and female members of a single family, from age 6 months to over age 50. Their variation in age and gender allows for more song, dance and stories to be shared on stage and in their presentations. The members of the group with pride represent the following Coast Salish communities: Musqueam, Squamish, Tsartlip, Nanaimo and more. This breadth of membership along with the multigenerational performers gives their audiences a sense of belonging to this, the hereditary lands of the Coast Salish people. Remembering Reuben Ware and Trevor Tracey – Dan Gottesman and Tyler Sack |
Day 3 – October 26, 2023: Practical Steps Towards Transformative Change
| 8:30 am – 9:00 am | Conference Registration, Breakfast |
| 9:00 am – 9:15 am | Opening Dr. Cease Wyss, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw Overview of agenda and day’s proceedings Jody Woods, UBCIC |
| 9:15 am – 9:45 am | Updates from the Chair of the Specific Claims Tribunal Moderator Judy Wilson The Honourable Victoria R. Chiappetta, Chairperson |
| 9:45 am – 10:15 am | Overview of agenda and day’s proceedings Moderator Morgan Chapman Specific Claims researchers and technicians offer a unique and vital perspective as we continue to work towards an independent process that includes Indigenous laws. In addition to your expertise, many of you are rights holders whose experiences are integral to the co-development of the independent centre. Members of the AFN-Canada Specific Claims Implementation Working Group (SCIWG) are invited and here to participate and learn from you. It is important that you feel free to ask questions and share your experience so the SCIWG members can learn from you and take this important knowledge back to the co-development table. The NCRW planning committee encourages the SCIWG members to fully participate in today’s discussions, and we have asked Canada and the AFN to reflect on what they hear today. Today we will lead a series of facilitated discussions on the following topics: 1. Specific Claims Slam – catch us up on what is new and exciting in your research, or things we didn’t get to talk about on Days 1 or 2 2. The Resource Hub – what matters to you – Archive access? Incorporation of Indigenous Laws? Breaking the ATIP logjam? Training? 3. Funding 101 – What would help you do a better job of researching claims? |
| 10:15 am – 10:30 am | Break – Refreshments Provided |
| 10:30 am – 11:45 am | Specific Claims Slam Got something to say that doesn’t align with one of the panels? Didn’t get to ask a question or share your experience? You now have 3 minutes to talk about something that excites you or grinds your gears about the spec claims world. A few suggested topics may include (but really, the floor is yours!): – The unseen inventory – what issues do you know about that aren’t quite “specific claims” but still need to be resolved? – What do you want to know about spec claims in the system – what is useful and why? – Find a cool record or new database? Have a cool story to share from your research? Tell us about it! Don’t want to talk to the group but still have something to share? Grab a sticky note and go stick your thoughts on the walls |
| 11:45 am – 12:30 pm | Shortened Lunch Provided |
| 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm | The Resource Hub – What matters to you? Facilitated Discussion Facilitator will provide short recap of items discussed during previous two days of NCRW around document access, incorporating oral history/genealogy. We will then convene a discussion with researchers in attendance about the proposed Resource Hub as part of the independent specific claims resolution centre envisioned in the proposal and ask for thoughts, ideas and feedback with respect to principles, priorities and needs, to inform the actual mechanics of how the Hub could operate. Researchers would be the primary users of a Resource Hub. |
| 1:30 pm – 1:45 pm | Break – Refreshments provided |
| 1:45 pm – 2:45 pm | Funding 101 – lets talk financial resources! Moderator This portion of the panel will explore what researchers have to say about how they are resourced/funded. 1. Do researchers have the resourcing they need to visit archives, order docs, manage their own collections, visit community, carry out oral history, purchase technology. 2. Would their ability to work improve in a well resourced, independent process and how could funding be administered independently if Canada still provides the money? |
| 2:45 p – 3:00 pm | Break – Refreshments Provided |
| 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm | What we learned this year: Slido Results Moderators from the 2023 NCRW will provide a brief overview of what was shared/discussed as a wrap up. Solicit discussion, consider and collect information about concerns related to of transition to a new process etc |
| 4:00 pm – 4:15 pm | Announcements/Housekeeping Morgan Chapman Raffle Winners/Door Prizes/etc Closing Prayer and Adjournment |
| 4:15 pm – 4:45 pm | Research Directors Meeting Choosing / Announcing Next Year’s Host |