Indigenous Voices: How can we put Indigenous voices at the heart of global decision making?

11:21 - 12:26, 19 September
Palais des Congrès
Presentation Stage

Keynote address to be given by:

Speakers

Larissa Crawford

Founder of Future Ancestors Services

Larissa Crawford

Founder of Future Ancestors Services

Larissa Crawford proudly passes on Métis and Jamaican ancestry to her children, Zyra and Ātea, and is a published Indigenous, anti-racism, and climate justice researcher, policy advisor, and restorative circle keeper with over 15 years of experience (at 29 years old, that's over half her life!). Larissa is also the Founder and Managing Director of Future Ancestors Services, a next-generation speakers bureau.

Future Ancestors Services is a small social enterprise that has emerged as an industry leader in connecting clients and audiences with diverse entrepreneurs offering speaking and training services, with over 400 clients across Canada and internationally. Specializing in community impact, sustainability, Indigenization, disability, and more, the voices they represent are charting futures that inherently respond to our most pressing systemic challenges.

Larissa's journey in addressing systemic challenges has included starting a library in Accra, Ghana at 16 years old; studying international law and volunteering in Istanbul, Turkey; graduating Summa Cum Laude from a Double Major Honours B.A. in Communication Studies and International Development Studies (York University); representing Canada at several global United Nations and G7 events; and a diverse score of competitive fellowships and scholarships that focus on policy, governance, climate change, and Indigenization.

Her expertise is profoundly shaped by the qualifications borne from her lived experience as an Indigenous and Black woman; a survivor of sexual violence and poverty; a person living with chronic pain disabilities and brain damage; having lived in both rural and urban settings; and as a young mother of two. Beyond her role as a labourer, Larissa is an avid rock climber and native plant enthusiast.
Kimberly Teehee

Senior Vice President of Government Relations, Cherokee Nation Businesses

Kimberly Teehee

Counsellor

Senior Vice President of Government Relations, Cherokee Nation Businesses

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.
Kaniehtiio Horn

Actress, Writer and Director

Kaniehtiio Horn

Counsellor

Actress, Writer and Director

Kaniehtiio Horn is a gifted actress, writer and director whose creative versatility and talent have created a cult following. She grew up on the Kahnawake Mohawk reserve west of Montreal where still resides today as a young mother and community advocate. Horn is best known for her beloved performance as Tanis in the critically acclaimed Canadian comedy series, LETTERKENNY. Hailed by Rolling Stone as one of the “best sitcoms of all time.” Her scene-stealing work recently earned her the 2022 Canadian Screen Award for “Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Comedy Series.” She later made her mark offscreen by lending her expertise as a consulting producer for the series’ spinoff, SHORESY – streaming on Hulu and Crave. She stars alongside Anna Kendrick in the Lionsgate thriller, ALICE, DARLING. The film recently premiered too much acclaim at the 2022 TIFF, with Horn herself receiving critical praise for her compelling role and onscreen presence. Most recently, Horn was in the sophomore seasons of the Peacock comedy RUTHERFORD FALLS (from Sierra Teller Ornelas, Mike Schur and Ed Helms) and in the gritty FX original series RESERVATION DOGS, (the brainchild of Sterlin Harjo and Academy Award-winner Taika Waititi). Her notable on-screen credits include Fox 21/Nat Geo’s BARKSKINS, Amazon’s THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE, Netflix / Gaumont’s HEMLOCK GROVE and the action/thriller feature MOHAWK. Horn wrote, directed, and starred in the short film, THE SHACK, which collected awards on the short film circuit. Upcoming, she will star in and direct SEEDS, a feature film she wrote and developed in association with Telefilm Canada and The Indigenous Screen Office.
Michèle Audette

Canadian Senator from De Salaberry

Michèle Audette

Canadian Senator from De Salaberry
Audrey Poitras

Past President, Métis Nation of Alberta

Audrey Poitras

Past President, Métis Nation of Alberta
Justin Langan

Executive Director of O'KANATA

Justin Langan

Executive Director of O'KANATA

Justin Langan is a 25-year-old Métis, LGBTQ2+ national activist from the rural town of Swan River. He is the Curator of the Indigenous Film Archive, and the Executive Director of O'KANATA, a federal non-profit dedicated to advancing Indigenous youth prosperity. Some of his personal achievements include the 2021 Métis Youth Indspire Award, the Terry Fox Humanitarian Award, the Top 25 Environmentalists under 25, the National Champion of Mental Health for Youth, and more. He is entering his fourth year of majoring in political studies and will use his knowledge to become a more decisive leader within his community. He hopes to become a lawyer and politician who advocates for Canadians' rights internationally, where he can create the most effective change. Some of his interests include volunteering on committees and councils, working out, photography, watching movies, going out with his friends, and working on philanthropic projects. He has worked with Indigenous youth and students since 2015 and understands how to teach and mentor them with the knowledge he has gained through his journey as an Indigenous activist.
Maricelma Francelino Fialho Cândido

Maricelma Francelino Fialho Cândido

Maricelma Francelino Fialho Cândido

Maricelma Francelino Fialho Cândido

Maricelma Fialho is an indigenous leader of the Terena people, born in the village of Bananal, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. She is a biomedical doctor, master and PhD student in Infectious and Parasitic Diseases at the Faculty of Medicine of the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS). Maricelma is dedicated to research into infectious diseases, with an emphasis on fungi that cause systemic mycoses, which mainly affect rural indigenous communities.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Maricelma established partnerships with institutions and managed to distribute alcoholic beverages and food to indigenous villages, benefiting hundreds of families. Additionally, she is treasurer of the Terena Institute of Intercultural Education and a volunteer for the Brazilian Red Cross, working as a translator of the Terena Language.

Representing Brazil at the Youth Leadership Coalition (IYLC) Latin America, Maricelma participates in global discussions on civic and political participation. Her efforts include educational initiatives and distribution of computer equipment to promote digital inclusion. Maricelma also organizes sporting events in her Bananal village, with a focus on reducing alcohol and tobacco consumption among young indigenous people. Its main objectives are to improve basic sanitation, indigenous health, offer English courses and improve sports infrastructure for young people.
Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts

Commissioner, Office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People

Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts

Commissioner, Office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People

Malagan everyone, I am a proud Bundjalung Widubul-Wiabul woman, advocate for Human Rights, author, lawyer, and have recently been appointed as the Inaugural Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People. From experiences in Out Of Home Care and facing injustices to becoming a Commissioner, Vanessa has devoted her life to empowering Indigenous self-determination and fighting for justice for First Nations people and children in Australia and worldwide.

Vanessa is a highly accomplished professional with a strong background in advocating for human rights, particularly focusing on First Nations children and young people, global Indigenous rights, and transnational solidarity. I completed my qualifications in Law, Social Work, and First Class Honours from the University Of New South Wales, and have decided to complete my PhD on the side of a busy world and life.
Leider Andres Tombe Morales

Cauca Territorial Coordinator for Project: NupirƟ, Mamik, Ɵsikwareik

Leider Andres Tombe Morales

Cauca Territorial Coordinator for Project: NupirƟ, Mamik, Ɵsikwareik

I am a young indigenous Misak passionate about the transformation of education and sustainable agriculture through innovation, science and ancestral knowledge in indigenous communities. For 8 years I have led from research and integration of traditional knowledge, an initiative of genetic conservation of Andean tubers, where I promote sustainable means of production, the rescue of the food culture of indigenous communities and thus ensure food sovereignty. During 2023 I participated in the Transforming Education Co-Action Summit, led by Salzburg Global Seminar, a convention that sought to generate conversation about the role of intergenerational leadership in the field of transformation of education systems, the result of which was a guide disclosed to the General Assembly of the United Nations. In May 2024 I participated in the “Encounter on Indigenous Knowledge and Food Systems” developed in Quito-Ecuador by the Latin American Center for Development -RIMISP and the International Development Research Center-IDRC. To achieve my goals, I have been supported by different scholarships such as Youth Social Impact Leaders of Women, Martin Luther King Program of USAID. I dream of a sustainable world, where all voices are integrated in the construction of a country and shared visions among the different communities.

One Young World Summit Montréal/Tiohtiá:ke, 2024

Indigenous Voices: How can we put Indigenous voices at the heart of global decision making?

Speakers