Jody Wilson-Raybould delivered an inspiring speech on leadership, relentlessness and courage in Yellowknife ahead of International Women’s Day.
Dozens of people gathered at the city’s Chateau Nova hotel on Friday last week to hear Canada’s former attorney general and justice minister give the keynote speech at the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce’s 2025 Trailblazers Symposium.
“For me, days like International Women’s Day are about our ability to take collective stock of where we have been, where we are and where we must still go to continue to build further patterns of equality, equity, inclusion and justice,” Wilson-Raybould told the crowd, adding it was also a day to celebrate the achievements of women.
“I can say with certainty, being around my family and being surrounded by strong female leaders throughout most of my life has been the greatest source of public, professional and private strength … and I strive every day to live up to their example.”
Wilson-Raybould, who said the event was her first time visiting the NWT, met a group of female students from Mildred Hall School ahead of her keynote. She wore a pair of earrings she had been gifted from the young women during her speech.
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During the keynote, Wilson-Raybould spoke about her background, political career, the impacts of colonialism, reconciliation and how people can make positive change.
Wilson-Raybould – whose traditional name is Puglaas, meaning “woman born of noble people” – is a descendant of the Musgamagw Tsawataineuk and Laich-Kwil-Tach peoples, who are part of the Kwakwaka’wakw. She is a member of the We Wai Kai Nation.
She is a lawyer, author, advocate for Indigenous rights and was Canada’s first Indigenous minister of justice and attorney general. She was the first woman to be elected as an independent member of parliament, representing Vancouver Granville.
Wilson-Raybould said in the many roles she has filled, she has addressed the challenge of invisibility, often being the first and only Indigenous person or woman at the table.
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“The calling of women leaders of my generation and the generations to come has been to be more and more visible, immovable and ever-present. To be bold, heard and seen, and to directly challenge those who fail to see you in all sorts of environments and in different ways,” she said.
Wilson-Raybould, who was also previously the BC Regional Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, discussed Indigenous leadership, worldviews and governance including the potlatch and the importance of balance.
“In the big house, there are no political parties, no partisanship. Rather, and while there is rank, we govern through the principles of consensus,” she said.
“We meet, and while everyone may not agree on everything that is being said, we debate the issues and seek general agreement to help ensure that decisions are balanced, supported and will be enduring, standing the test of time.”
Wilson-Raybould said, in her view, the heart of the issue with federal politics is excessive partisanship, which she described as “antithetical and corrosive to true leadership.”
“The reality that I found remains deeply ingrained in our political culture of how disinterested our leaders and our governing system is in building consensus around the best ideas, around searching for the truth and the evidence of a situation and working together,” she said.
Wilson-Raybould called for people to be “in-betweeners,” explaining that colonialism has built silos between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, and Crown governments and Indigenous governments.
“If we are going to live side by side together – certainly none of us are going anywhere – then understanding our different ways of being is important, the reverse of assimilation,” she said.
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Wilson-Raybould said in-betweeners are people and organizations who walk between and transcend silos. She challenged people to consider their work in relation to reconciliation and how they can be in-betweeners.
“It is not easy,” she said.
“It takes courage. It demands being uncomfortable and it often means breaking away from and out of expectations.”
