How do we secure greater political representation for Indigenous people?
If all Indigenous communities were recognised as one nation, they would be the third most populous country in the world. Despite this, Indigenous communities are often under-represented in national and international decision making processes. What's more, Indigenous communities are regularly excluded from the decisions which directly affect their own communities. This panel seeks to address these issues, looking at the systemic barriers to Indigenous people entering the political process as well as the challenges Indigenous representatives face in effecting meaningful change.
Speakers
-
Ilia CalderónAnchor, Host and CorrespondentIlia Calderón
Counsellor
Anchor, Host and Correspondent
Univision NetworkIlia Calderón is the co-anchor of Univision Network’s flagship weekday evening newscast, “Noticiero Univision.” Calderón also anchors “Aquí y Ahora,” Univision’s primetime newsmagazine, and in July 2023 became host of the newly launched streaming true crime show “Señales de Crimen” on ViX. Calderón is a trailblazer. She is the first Afro-Latina to anchor an evening newscast for a major broadcast network in the United States. In September 2023, she co-moderated the first Spanish-language broadcast of a republican presidential primary debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, becoming the first Afro-Latina to do so. Calderón also made history as the first Afro-Latina to co-moderate a Democratic presidential primary debate in 2020. Additionally, in her native Colombia, she became the first Afro-Colombian to host "Noticiero CMI,” a national news program. As a respected journalist, Calderón has received several recognitions during her professional career, including two Emmy® Awards. In 2019, she was named one of Carnegie Corporation’s Great Immigrants Great Americans. In 2002, she was named one of the 100 most important Hispanic journalists by the Hispanic Media 100 organization.
-
Kimberly TeeheeDelegate-designate to US House of Representatives for Cherokee NationKimberly Teehee
Counsellor
Delegate-designate to US House of Representatives for Cherokee Nation
Kimberly Teehee is director of government relations for Cherokee Nation and senior vice president of government relations for Cherokee Nation Businesses. In 2019, Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. named Teehee as the tribe’s first delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives. She previously served President Barack Obama as the first-ever senior policy advisor for Native American Affairs in the White House Domestic Policy Council for three years. Teehee also served as senior advisor to the U.S. House of Representatives Native American Caucus co-chair, Rep. Dale Kildee (D MI) for nearly 12 years. As senior advisor, she established an impressive record of accomplishments on a wide array of Native American issues. Teehee received her B.A. in Political Science from NSU and her J.D. from the University Of Iowa College Of Law.
-
Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-ClarkeMember of Parliament for Hauraki Waikato, New ZealandHana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke
Member of Parliament for Hauraki Waikato, New Zealand
Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, 21, is a New Zealand politician representing Te Paati Maaori, the only indigenous party in the country. She is the youngest MP since 1853. Her involvement in the political realm has allowed young Maaori and the younger generation to have a voice within New Zealand's democracy. Maipi-Clarke has ancestry to many native tribes in Aotearoa, including Ngapuhi, Ngati Porou, Te Atiawa, Waikato, and Ngai Tahu. Her grandparents are staunch activists in Nga Tamatoa; her great-grandfather (x4), Wiremu Katene, became the first Maaori Minister of the Crown when he was appointed in 1872. Maipi-Clarke received her education at Te Wharekura o Rakaumanga, a first-generation full immersion school, where she learned and became fluent in her native language. At age 17, she published her first book, Maahina, about the Maaori lunar cycle calendar and astronomy. She has gone on to create other educational resources, which she has applied within and outside of classrooms to educate young Maaori by decolonising the educational system with traditional Maaori knowledge and practices. She, among others, founded a community garden in her local tribal area, Raahui Pookeka, to restore indigenous practices around food sovereignty. She then went on to create Aotearoa's first Food Sovereignty policy. Maipi-Clarke supported the Make It 16 campaign in parliament to lower the voting age.
-
Audrey PoitrasPast President, Métis Nation of Alberta
-
Michèle AudetteCanadian Senator from De Salaberry