Largest Gathering of First Nations Guardians Comes to Ottawa
May 6, 2023
By Valérie Courtois
In a few days, over 350 people will come together for the fourth National First Nations Guardians Gathering–the largest Guardians Gathering ever in Canada. In 2016 when we held the first Gathering, there were only about 30 Guardians programs operating in the country. Now more than 120 First Nations Guardians programs are thriving – caring for the lands and waters we all depend on.
The exponential growth of Guardians programs in recent years has not only been inspiring to witness. It has also unleashed a host of benefits for lands, communities, and the country as a whole.
Guardians are at the forefront of a transformative model of stewardship—one that honours the interdependence of people and the land. Guardians’ work is about responsibility and reciprocity. But most of all, it is about love. To be a Guardian is an expression of love for your land and your Nation.
It’s not an accident that 80 per cent of the world’s remaining biodiversity is on lands cared for and loved by Indigenous Peoples. We have been in relationship with the plants and animals of our territories for millennia.
By being on the land, we are not only healing ourselves and our communities. We are helping heal the country from the intertwined crises of climate change, loss of biodiversity, and colonialism.
This isn’t aspirational. It’s happening across the country. Every day, we hear from Guardians who are on the ground, managing wildfires and making communities more resilient in the face of climate change. They are helping restore populations of caribou, salmon, red cedar, and scores of other species at risk. They are supporting language camps and on-the-land wellness programs. And they are helping assert their Nations’ decision-making authority on their territories.
Guardians are the leaders we need now, and their success is something we can all celebrate.
And that is what we will do at the Gathering. Hosted in Ottawa on the traditional and unceded territory of the Algonquin Nation, the 2023 Gathering will include Guardians, Elders, leaders, partners, and allies.
[Click here to follow the plenary sessions via live stream.]
In our time together we will mark the growth of the Guardians movement. We will discuss the newly launched First Nations National Guardians Network and help shape its future. And Guardians will have the opportunity to attend sessions focused on training and knowledge exchanges with topics ranging from cultural renewal to water monitoring, enforcement to caribou and moose stewardship, natural resource development and healing on the land.
Most importantly, we will have a chance to connect with one another. Each of us comes from the unique realities of our territories, but we share much in common.
I have been working among Guardians for twenty years, first with the Innu Nation’s Minaskuat Kanakuataku Guardians program in Labrador, and now within the national movement for greater recognition and investment for Indigenous-led conservation. And I always leave a room of Guardians full of hope.
It is inspiring to see so many Guardians stepping up to assume responsibility as stewards of lands and waters across the country. I know that the hundreds of participants gathering together next week will leave the Gathering feeling energized, grateful – and as hopeful as I am – because of all that Guardians do to help build a better future.
