Gord Downie’s legacy inspires action on reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. Learn how you can answer Gord’s call and take reconciliACTION.

In 2016, on his final cross-country tour while battling terminal brain cancer, Gord Downie and The Tragically Hip played to a live and TV audience of an estimated 11.7 million viewers in Canada. Downie took this opportunity to ask us all to look at the state of Indigenous-non-Indigenous relations in this country and to “Do Something” to change it for the better. 

That same year, Downie released his solo project, Secret Path, which includes an album, graphic novel, and animated film telling the story of Chanie Wenjack. Chanie Wenjack was a 12-year-old Anishinaabe boy who died trying to escape Cecilia Jeffrey Residential School and reach his family 600 kilometres away in Ogoki Post. 

Today, Wenjack and Downie’s legacies live on through the work of the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund (DWF), an Indigenous-led organization that aims to build cultural understanding and create a path toward reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.

Reconciliation isn’t an Indigenous issue — it’s a Canadian issue

On September 30, the fourth National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, DWF invites you to honour the legacies of both Wenjack and Downie as we reflect on the lasting impacts of residential schools and other colonial policies, whose harms continue to affect the health and well-being of Indigenous Peoples across the country. The relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples is foundational to Canada and critical to our collective future.

Walking the path toward reconciliation with the DWF

DWF provides opportunities to learn, reflect, and take meaningful action through its various programs.

The Legacy Schools program provides over 8,362 educators all over Canada with free tools and resources to help them teach not only Canada’s true history but also the richness, strength, and diversity of Indigenous cultures. 

The Legacy Spaces program enables workplaces throughout Canada to create safe, welcoming spaces dedicated to learning about the true history of Canada and how we can all do something to move reconciliation forward. Today, there are 74 Legacy Spaces partners across 40 cities in Canada.

The Youth Ambassador program develops the next generation of leaders, offering four weeks of leadership training that has now supported 239 Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth in becoming champions of reconciliation in their communities.

Join us on the path toward reconciliation

Your support is essential in continuing this work. Every donation and partnership helps DWF to provide resources to educators, empower youth, uplift Indigenous artists and voices, and create opportunities for all to engage in reconciliation. 

Today, we invite you to answer Downie’s call to #DoSomething to move reconciliation forward. 

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Prioritizing Indigenous representation on corporate boards strengthens decision-making, fosters economic reconciliation, and drives meaningful engagement for all.

Canadian Council for Indigenous Business (CCIB) has a vision: for Indigenous businesses to be fully engaged in shaping the Canadian economy. By building strong business relationships and creating new opportunities for its members,  CCIB supports a thriving Indigenous economy that benefits all.

This vision extends beyond Indigenous businesses alone. It also emphasizes the importance of having Indigenous representation at the highest levels of decision-making in corporate Canada. “We bring unique, valuable worldviews and approaches to boards, blending traditional knowledge with strong credentials,” says Brenda LaRose, a Métis board director, leadership coach, and founder of BL Talent Solutions, who recently participated in a panel discussion on the topic hosted by CCIB.

Opportunity gaps    

A recent report from CCIB and the Diversity Institute at Toronto Metropolitan University highlights how diversity in the workplace improves decision-making processes, opens doors to engagement with diverse markets, and increases a company’s capacity for innovation. Despite this, only about one per cent of corporate board positions are held by Indigenous individuals. “Many don’t really understand the extent of knowledge and expertise we’ve developed over the last couple of decades,” says LaRose.

Barriers like colonial legacies, discriminatory practices, and a lack of cultural understanding within organizations lead to opportunity gaps for Indigenous individuals in corporate leadership.  Moreover, the absence of representation at executive levels perpetuates cycles of exclusion, as critical issues may be overlooked, further worsening social and economic outcomes for Indigenous Peoples.

Embracing strategy  

When Indigenous leaders are recruited and retained in executive and board positions, and when meaningful engagement is prioritized (“Don’t just bring someone on because they’re Indigenous, to tick a box,” says LaRose), the benefits are unmistakable.

Cherie Brant, Partner at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, joined the Hydro One board to contribute her expertise as a First Nations lawyer. “The Indigenous communities we work with at Hydro One can positively impact many aspects of the business, from land access to supply chain to equity participation in our major transmission line projects,” she says. Brant adds that her role has helped foster “greater understanding and interest in the ways our communities can contribute to a better and stronger Hydro One,” noting that trust-building enhances outcomes for the company and its customers.

LaRose and Brant recently participated in the panel, “Indigenous Women in Corporate Leadership,” presented at the CCIB 40^th anniversary business forum last spring, offering invaluable insight into the experiences of Indigenous women in leadership roles. Harnessing Indigenous Peoples’ contributions, experiences, challenges, and value is possible — but it must be strategic.

“To truly integrate economic reconciliation corporation-wide, there needs to be a strategy as to how an organization is going to work with Indigenous business, people, and communities to achieve Indigenous economic prosperity,” says Tabatha Bull, President and CEO of CCIB. “It’s not enough to create an Indigenous relations team and expect them to make reconciliation a reality within a company. It has to be purposefully integrated, reaching into all aspects of an organization, including at the board level.”

To learn more, visit ccab.com.

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We sat down with Bobbie Racette, the founder of Virtual Gurus, to ask her about how her journey as an Indigenous, Queer woman inspired her to build a platform that empowers marginalized communities.

Can you tell us about your background and how you started Virtual Gurus?

How has your identity as an Indigenous Cree-Metis woman shaped your vision for Virtual Gurus and its mission to support truth and reconciliation?

In what ways does Virtual Gurus contribute to economic opportunities for Indigenous communities, and how does this align with the principles of reconciliation?

How do you incorporate Indigenous values and perspectives into your leadership at Virtual Gurus?

Go to thevirtualgurus.com to learn more.

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September 30 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a day that honours First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples, as well as their families and communities. The need for such a day comes from a profoundly painful part of Canadian history, shaped by colonization and cultural subjugation. 

Indigenous ways of life were devastated by early European settlers and their treaties. One of the darkest parts of this history was the residential school system, where Indigenous children suffered abuse and were conditioned to believe that their culture, language, and heritage were to be rejected. The scars of these atrocities are still felt today.

Organizations like the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI) that advocate for human rights and equity are collaborating with Indigenous organizations to amplify their voices and help build stronger bonds, striving towards a more equitable future. The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation serves as a critical milestone for this reconciliation work, ensuring that the legacy and history of residential schools are acknowledged and understood. 

“As we walk the path towards reconciliation, transformation is necessary,” says Anne-Marie Pham, CEO, CCDI. “We’re committed to portraying a more authentic history of Canada’s diverse Indigenous Peoples, addressing the impact of residential schools, systemic racism, and their ongoing effects on workplaces and communities.”

In partnership with Indigenous Works, CCDI created the DreamMakers Council, which is focused on advancing Indigenous inclusion in the workplace. Partner members have access to valuable learning and training resources, and build a community where they can share key strategies for advancing inclusion. 

CCDI also hosts webinars like Moving from reconciliation to reconciliACTION: Engaging and supporting Indigenous communities, and Reconciliation: Sisters on the path.

“When it comes to any kind of diversity, equity and inclusion work, it is of paramount importance to ‘walk the talk’,” says Pham. “It’s not enough to simply discuss change — we must take actionable steps to effect that change.”

To learn more and become a member of CCDI, please visit ccdi.ca.

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Reconciliation requires taking meaningful steps forward to advance the Indigenous economy with intentionality for the long-term benefit of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous businesses. 

For centuries, Indigenous people have provided goods and resources to help Canada grow, and that tradition continues today with more than 60,000 Indigenous businesses thriving and ready to compete in the global marketplace. Yet Indigenous businesses remain underrepresented in supply chains.   

Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB) introduced Supply Change in 2018, an Indigenous procurement strategy that looks for ways to strengthen connections between corporate Canada, governments and Indigenous businesses.  A large component of Supply Change is the Aboriginal Procurement Marketplace, whose members consist of corporate companies committed to enhancing Indigenous representation in their supply chains, and it currently includes over 1,200 Certified Aboriginal Businesses.

In 2021, the Minister of Public Service and Procurement announced a mandatory requirement for all federal departments and agencies to direct a minimum of five per cent of the total value of contracts to Indigenous businesses. Indigenous Services Canada further pledged $35.2 million over five years to modernize the Procurement Strategy for Aboriginal Business.

At approximately $22 billion annually, the Government of Canada is the largest purchaser of goods and services in the country. As such, even a modest change in the Government of Canada’s procurement practices will have enormous material benefits for Indigenous businesses and communities. 

CCAB recently released the report Trading Nations: Supporting International Indigenous-To-Indigenous Trade Policy Development to provide an overview of Indigenous trade and export, an examination of the rights of Indigenous peoples, current provisions and examples of initiatives, as well as recommendations.

Government research has shown that increasing access to markets for Indigenous businesses is key to closing economic gaps between Indigenous peoples and the non-Indigenous population, which economic analysis conducted by the National Indigenous Economic Development Board, has reported would grow the Canadian economy by $27.67 billion.

CCAB is committed to ensuring procurement and trade opportunities exist to foster a strong Indigenous economy — and greater prosperity for all Canadians.  

Visit CCAB.com for more information. 

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Prioritizing their community partnerships, Raven Indigenous Capital Partners is actioning UNDRIP by offering innovative investment opportunities that support Indigenous groups.

Indigenous owned and operated, Raven Indigenous Capital Partners is empowering Indigenous entrepreneurs by securing and facilitating private and public capital investments. Acting as financial intermediary, their re-invested funds have lasting impacts within Indigenous communities and projects. They work one-on-one with businesses to get investment ready, call government to action, and broker beneficial relationships. 

It’s their way of acting upon the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) — the international recognition of the unfair treatment of Indigenous groups and the establishment of a universal framework of rights and standards.  

Specifically pertaining to Articles Three and Twenty-one, Raven is working to improve economic and social conditions of Indigenous Peoples on Turtle Island. Investing in Indigenous communities is an act of economic reconciliation, and their Indigenous Outcomes Fund is doing just that.

Pay-for-success projects

“Our innovative financial pathways create opportunities and relationships that might not otherwise be possible for Indigenous groups,” says Jeff Cyr, Raven’s Co-Founder and Managing Partner. “Money can act as medicine, and this is how Canadians can help.”

The Indigenous Outcomes Fund is the first of its kind. A vehicle to pool capital through private investors, it seeks to raise $50 million to invest in outcomes contracts (Indigenous programs/initiatives) that have incredibly high success rates and high impact. It puts money into the hands of Indigenous communities that know how to best address present issues — and the government acts as the re-purchaser of successful outcomes. 

This Social finance tool leads to actionable community-driven priorities, paving new ways for Indigenous communities to gain economic independence and grow. It’s addressing systemic failures by presenting progressive tactics that breathe new life into existing structures. “This impactful fund already has serious momentum,” Jeff adds. “There’s financial returns to entice investors yes, but this endeavor is really about changing lives.”

Funding that’ll go far

By backing the largely untapped Indigenous economy, private investors boost actionable priorities like climate and health initiatives. For Raven, prioritizing their personal community relationships is the key to success — proving that social finance paves an effective pathway towards reconciliation.

We call on Canadians to reflect on how to participate in and effectively support the Indigenous economy. As Indigenous ways of knowing and being teach us, there is a place for everyone in this regenerative economy.

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Mediaplanet sat down with Kimberly Murray, Special Interlocutor for Missing Children and Unmarked Graves and Burial Sites associated with Indian Residential Schools to understand the importance of Truth and Reconciliation.

What is your role as the Independent Special Interlocutor for Missing Children and Unmarked Graves and Burial Sites associated with Indian Residential Schools?

Can you tell us more about the new federal framework that is underway and its role in ensuring the respectful and culturally appropriate treatment of unmarked graves and burial sites?

In terms of being able to achieve the goals of your position, are there any barriers?

How can Canadians ensure they are taking meaningful steps toward Truth and Reconciliation?

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