E1. Indigenous

Spring begins. Winter seining is in full swing. During February one of the most significant forests of rewilding programme, Rahekangas, was secured, appearances in US media on rewilding and fisheries and new science papers out. A new database of Indigenous knowledge of bowhead whales is released.

March continues winter seining. Catches have varied and ice conditions are strong but hard. Fishers from Tornio river arrive next week as well as Prof. David Barkin from Mexico, to participate in a workshop devoted to sustainability.

Winter seining.

David Barkin holds a PhD in Economics from Yale University and is Distinguished Professor at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Xochimilco Campus in Mexico City. He collaborated in the founding of the Ecodevelopment Center in 1974. He received the National Prize for Political Economy in 1979. He is a member of the Mexican Academy of Sciences and is an Emeritus member of the National Research Council. He collaborates with indigenous and peasant communities to promote the sustainable management of regional resources. Many of these communities are engaged in activities to develop new institutions, advancing towards the construction of post-capitalist societies by fostering new forms of coexistence and alternatives to development to move towards a world of ‘good living’.

Prof. Barkin

Rahekangas, a 170-hectare boreal forest and peatland complex in Koitajoki joined the Landscape Rewilding Programme in February.  Rahekangas Forest and Peatland Complex is a part of a nationally relevant Kelsimä river valley where very large restoration actions have been carried out, for example on Rahesuo, Kaitoinsuo and Valkeasuo peatlands – together these rewilding sites and conservation sites constitute a valley of peatlands and boreal forests of thousands of hectares and can be considered to be of national relevance. Snowchange has restored Rahesuo and several of the surrounding habitats. Rahekangas contains 47 hectares of intact peatlands, it is directly a part of the Natura site (Valkeajärvi), there are subsurface water sources and a stream – Rahepuro, that runs on the site.

Rahekangas and the stream.

Mongabay reports on the Circumpolar peatland initiative here. Secondly, the History Channel reports on the “oldest ice fishing” in the world, here. Lastly, a new science paper reports on the status of freshwaters in the Arctic. 

Snowchange has also released a new unique Indigenous knowledge database of bowhead whale from Chukotka, Nunavut and Greenland. These consented materials have been collected from open sources and archives. The materials from Chukotka are based on archival and literature sources. The database is here.

This collection of StoryMaps presents knowledge and observations from Indigenous communities in Chukotka, Greenland and Nunavut, as well as scholarly works, concerning the importance, status and trends of the Bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus).

Chukotka

The cultural relationship with bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus, Zelensky et al. 1997, Bogoslovskaya et al. 2016, Melnikov and Zdor 2018) and the Chukchi and the Siberian Yupiaq of Chukotka is old and extremely relevant (Bogoslovskaya et al. 2016). 

Greenland

Bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus), Arfivik in Greenlandic, have historically held deep cultural and subsistence importance for Inuit communities in Greenland. Once nearly eradicated by commercial Euro-American whaling between the 17th and 19th centuries, bowhead populations have gradually recovered especially in West Greenland after nearly 80 years of protection.

Nunavut

The Inuit from Nunavut, Canada have had a cultural relationship with bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) or arviq for a long time (Bennett and Rowley 2004, Reeves and Lee 2022). Harvesting the bowhead whale is and has been, as all Inuit hunting activities, a part of a large cultural whole in Nunavut.

Finally a new science paper summarizes that Arctic freshwater biodiversity is rapidly changing due to climate warming, resource extraction,infrastructure development, and landscape transformation.To improve understanding, predict future responses, and inform policy formulation, research needs must be clearly identified. Using a horizon scan survey, Arctic freshwater experts from government, international agencies, and Indigenous Peoples identified 77 biodiversity research questions with 17 highlighted as most important for near term assessment.

These questions span nine thematic categories:

• biodiversity and taxonomic challenges
• hydrological change,
• productivity and food webs
• ecosystem connectivity methods
• monitoring andassessment
• permafrost change
• winter ecology
• anthropogenic development
• Indigenous Knowledge

Climate change emerged as the major driver among allcategories and research questions. A key priority identified was the urgent need for long-term, harmonized monitoring programs among Arctic countries. Multiple knowledge gaps detected suggest that circumpolar research collaborations are required to tackle these issues.

The paper is available here.

IT IS NO SECRET that Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) raised critical questions about the relationship between Indigenous and Canadian cultural sovereignty. While those TRC Calls to Action focused on media and culture (notably numbers 83 to 89) do not explicitly frame sovereignty in constitutional terms, they do establish a general framework which correlates reconciliation with Indigenous authority. For example, Call to Action 83 led the Canada Council for the Arts to establish commitments explicitly acknowledging “the cultural sovereignty of Indigenous peoples” and respecting Indigenous “self-determination.” 

Jesse Wente’s appointment as Canada Council Chair in 2020 represented a direct implementation of this principle in the organization’s leadership. More fundamentally, faithful implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (UNIDRIP) would, as political scientist Liam Midzain-Gobin argues, “give Indigenous Peoples greater authority and decision-making power.” However, as Anishinaabe scholar Sheryl Lightfoot observes, Canada practices what she calls “selective endorsement” — accepting UNDRIP in principle while resisting the structural changes it requires. 

While the TRC does not explicitly redefine the constitutional relationship between Indigenous and Canadian sovereignty, the logic of these calls (notably the repudiation of doctrines that justified European claims to sovereignty over lands already inhabited by indigenous peoples) reveals a fundamental truism:

Canada’s claim to sovereignty is inextricably bound up
in a complex relationship with unceded Indigenous lands.
If this fact is slowly being metabolized domestically,
its implications must increasingly be
considered internationally. What is the Indigenous Screen Office?

At present, the Indigenous Screen Office (ISO) has shown significant progress in supporting Indigenous creators internationally. However, while Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly’s formal announcement of the ISO in 2017 may give the impression of state innovation, the ISO’s creation was, “the result of decades of advocacy from Indigenous industry professionals and creators.” While the organization’s history can arguably be traced as far back as controversies surrounding the National Film Board’s Challenge for Change program, the ISO’s immediate history emerged from more recent reports like Jeff Bear’s At The Crossroads (2004), Danis Goulet and Kerry Swanson’s Indigenous Feature Film Production in Canada: A National and International Perspective (2013), and Marcia Nickerson’s Supporting & Developing the Indigenous Screen-based Media Industry in Canada (2016), each of which made the case for a dedicated screen institution which centers Indigenous Sovereignty both domestically and internationally. 

To this end, the ISO’s official mandate is a product of these longer histories, with “narrative sovereignty and cultural revitalization,” a framework outlined by founding director Jesse Wente, ensuring that,

“it is Indigenous peoples who should be telling our stories, and it should be Indigenous peoples describing how that is done and by whom. Anything less ensures that media creation remains a colonial practice.” 

By 2025, ISO controls about 42 percent of all funding in the Indigenous screen sector and receives mandated contributions from streaming platforms under CRTC regulations. The Office has partnered “with the Canada Media Fund, Telefilm Canada and CMPA to deliver activities under the ISO’s international market development strategy,” including hosting the first-ever international Indigenous Co-production forum at Cannes in May 2023, bringing together 18 providers from Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Greenland, and Northern Europe, organizing the Indigenous Screen Summit at Banff connecting producers with international buyers. 

The impact is undeniable, but the implications of the Office — particularly when centred within the longer history of Indigenous advocacy for international representation — has wider ranging consequences. Telefilm Canada, the federal film finance agency responsible for promoting Canadian audiovisual content internationally, currently administers 60 co-production treaties and international promotion programs, none of which were designed with Indigenous sovereignty as a core organizing principle. And ISO’s authority over international pathways is still emerging. The question we might consider is: to what degree do the wider implications of the TRC affect Canada’s international cultural products, and how might emerging institutions like the ISO further facilitate Indigenous cultural agency? 

To address this question, a phased approach could build on the initial successes of the ISO within one possible trajectory of the TRC. As a settler researcher working in Canadian media history, I approach this question recognizing that Indigenous nations will ultimately determine their own international cultural strategies. My focus here is on how existing Canadian institutions might remove barriers and redistribute decision-making authority. 

In this way, this proposal aligns with both longstanding Indigenous advocacy for screen sovereignty and more recent and redoubled calls for international cultural governance.

Expanding the ISO’s Authority: A Step-by-Step Guide

At a TIFF 2024 panel, “Indigenous Creators Look Beyond Borders,” ISO CEO Kerry Swanson directly critiqued existing co-production treaty structures, suggesting that “these treaties were established between the nations without any consideration of Indigenous content because at that time Indigenous people were excluded from the industry and so there was not an Indigenous perspective at the table when negotiating these nationalistic treaties.” Panellist Anne Laja Utsi, CEO of the International Sámi Film Institute, illustrated this with reference to the Canada-Norway Treaty, which requires audio tracks in Norwegian, English, or French, excluding Sámi and Indigenous Canadian languages, offering a concrete example of how colonial frameworks structurally limit Indigenous cultural circulation. 

While the ISO has not explicitly demanded co-decision authority over Telefilm’s international programs, this critique — combined with ISO’s active international engagement and the broader narrative sovereignty framework established in the 2019 ImagineNATIVE report On-Screen Protocols & Pathways (“Gone is the era of consultants and consultations … sovereign nations must have control over their own stories”), and the logical implications of the longer history of direct action which generated the ISO — suggests the groundwork exists for expanded international authority. 

ISO representatives could, for example, be formally integrated into decisions about which Indigenous-led productions receive international promotion funding, ensuring Canada’s cultural footprint abroad reflects Indigenous priorities. Over time, the ISO could take on more direct responsibilities: leading co-production treaties and guiding distribution strategies so Indigenous creators claim partial authority over global circulation. This approach leverages existing programming while expanding Indigenous leadership, recognizing that

Canadian cultural exports depend not only on which stories are told, but also on which institutions ultimately hold decision-making authority.

For settlers in Canadian cultural industries (including myself), this matters because our own agency is governed by how these questions are (or are not) institutionally addressed. 

The transition could begin through incremental adjustment to existing programs. Currently, Telefilm’s International Promotion Program assesses applications through its standard evaluation criteria, with ISO involvement limited to partnership activities under the International Market Development Strategy rather than decision-making authority over funding allocations. The Black Screen Office’s “Being Seen” report (supported by Telefilm Canada) on inclusive content in Canadian screen industries demonstrates growing institutional recognition of the need for equity-seeking communities to have authority over their own representation, a groundswell which could be leveraged to impact international governance. As a first phase, Telefilm and ISO could, for example, formalize a consultation protocol whereby ISO reviews applications to Telefilm’s International Promotion Program before funding decisions are finalized for any Indigenous-led projects. This would ensure that international promotion strategies align with Indigenous priorities without disrupting Telefilm’s assessment process. 

In a subsequent phase, ISO could be granted co-decision authority over a dedicated subset of international promotion funding for Indigenous productions. Over time, this authority could expand to encompass broader aspects of international strategy, including a more substantial role in shaping Heritage’s international priorities in alignment with its evolving reconciliation commitments. Similarly, co-production treaty negotiations could include ISO representatives with advisory roles that transition to co-signatory status on treaty provisions.

Indigenous Cultural Diplomacy

Of course, this approach focuses on further reforming Canada’s cultural apparatus, recognizing that Indigenous nations will simultaneously pursue independent international cultural relationships outside this structure. The goal is simply removing barriers within existing institutions, not circumscribing Indigenous nations’ broader diplomacy initiatives. 

South Korea’s cultural-diplomatic success offers useful lessons. The Korean Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) operates 25 overseas business centres that don’t simply react to content producers’ existing work, but proactively build distribution networks. Canada could adopt this logic, but with a key distinction. Rather than projecting a unified “Canadian” brand, Canadian cultural centres could facilitate Indigenous-led diplomacy, positioning Canada as a convenor of global Indigenous knowledge. Overseas cultural offices could serve as nodes in Indigenous-controlled distribution networks, enabling relationships between Indigenous creators across settler states. It could, for instance, connect Inuk artists with Greenlandic festivals, Anishinaabe storytellers with Māori communities — a logical extension of the Indigenous Co-production forum at Cannes ISO already led in 2023. This would not simply be symbolic: it would provide infrastructure for Indigenous nations to further conduct their own diplomacy, using Canadian resources to build transnational networks that operate outside settler control. What’s required is a reorientation of existing systems around Indigenous authority.

If Canada’s sovereignty rests on its relationship with Indigenous nations, then state resources derived from unceded territories carry obligations, not opportunities. This doesn’t reconcile Canada with nations that reject its authority (nothing short of land back and genuine self-determination can do that). But it does remove some of the mechanisms through which Canada limits Indigenous cultural sovereignty, whether nations choose to use reformed infrastructure or build independent pathways. Telefilm’s administrative capacity, ISO’s demonstrated impact, and international precedents via institutions like Canadian Heritage provide a practical platform for addressing many of these questions.

What remains to be seen is whether this matrix of Canadian institutions will redouble its efforts to empower the ISO to lead this transition — legitimating decades of advocacy for new forms of Canadian international-cultural exports. 

–

This Brief was reviewed by an Indigenous expert on the ISO and Canada’s
Cultural Strategy.

Citation: Clark, Anton. “Sovereignty and The Indigenous Screen Office: A Proposal to Reshape Canada’s International Cultural Strategy,” Yellowhead Institute. February 26, 2026. https://yellowheadinstitute.org/2026/sovereignty-and-the-indigenous-screen-office-a-proposal-to-reshape-canadas-international-cultural-strategy

Cover Photo: Uiksaringitara (Wrong Husband) dir Zacharias Kunuk, Kingulliit Productions 

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.avia-section.av-av_section-d367b5fd938b057a52a61a76b2a4230d{ background-color:#f8f8f8; background-image:unset; } Director of Development
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Job Description

Reporting to the Managing Director, the Director of Development (DoD) will create and oversee fundraising strategies to maximize organizational sustainability and allow for mission-aligned growth. The DoD’s focus will be on building a diverse, strong, and expanding base of support from foundations while assisting with growing independent revenue from individual donors. The DoD is responsible for creating, implementing, and executing initiatives including major gifts, planned giving, grants, annual giving, special events, and developing a comprehensive stewardship process for donors.

The ideal candidate will have demonstrated experience in fund development in the nonprofit sector, donor cultivation and stewardship, representing an organization to stakeholders, and managing staff.

The candidate should also have a familiarity with the history and current situation in Indian Country. Prior experience in working with tribal and Native communities and organizations is desirable.

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Primary Responsibilities:

• Manage fundraising efforts from foundation and other institutional sources, stewarding current funders while growing revenue from new sources. This includes prospecting for new funding opportunities, managing and improving development systems, tracking deadlines, reviewing and approving content, coordinating timely and high-quality grant submissions, and responsibility for all proposals and report drafting. In addition, the DoD will be responsible for all funder cultivation, such as briefings, communications, and ensuring all funders are stewarded appropriately.
• Responsible for overseeing the implementation and strengthening of major gift programs to contribute significantly to the growth of independent revenue for NOA.
• Engagement strategies include individualized donor cultivation, special events, and other relationship building and activities. Ensure excellent cultivation and relationship maintenance with all donors and prospects.
• Establish strong internal systems for coordinating and tracking development work.
• Ensure members of the development team have clear work plans and goals, and monitor tracking and transparent reporting of progress towards goals. Oversee timely grant notifications, coordination of financial reporting, and allocations of grants. Lead monthly fundraising meetings with key staff.
• Direct the creation and production of donor publications and communications such as annual reports, newsletters, donor stories, and online donor outreach, including video production and website content.
• Provide regular supervision and support to development staff. Clarify roles among development team members. Provide the vision and leadership to the development team. Provide coaching and support to the NOA staff in building their fundraising skills and success.
• Work closely with the Executive Director in developing organizational income projections, accurately tracking progress towards goals, and ensuring that the goals are met and that the organization operates with a positive net operating income and continues to grow. Work closely with NOA’s fiscal sponsor to ensure that updated income projections are reflected in the NOA budget projections.

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Qualifications:

• ​​4–5+ years of fundraising, grant writing, or donor relations experience.
  Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in nonprofit management, business administration, marketing, communications, or public relations.
• Strong supervisory and managerial experience.
• Have knowledge of and commitment to progressive social change movements and grassroots organizing as the key to building political power.
• Excellent writing, copy editing, and proofreading capabilities, as well as strong verbal and written communication abilities.
• Are detail-oriented and able to manage your time efficiently in remote work.
• Honor the idea of Native beliefs and practices as the guiding principles of NOA’s organizational culture, political strategy, and ways of working within the staff and with all our relations.
• Have a deep knowledge of the politics and issues impacting tribal and Native communities.
• Understand the decisive role tribal governments play in the movements for achieving sovereignty, protecting civil and human rights, and creating systemic change in nation-to-nation relations with the federal government.
• Experience with G-Suite, Microsoft Office suite, and project management platforms.
• Have a desire to grow and develop personally, and deepen our collective Indigenous frameworks.

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Compensation

Salary: $100,000

Benefits: Include health, dental, and vision insurance; paid holiday time-off, and a generous vacation and sick policy.

Location: Remote (some travel for staff gatherings, campaigns, and events or conferences) 

Native Organizers Alliance is a fiscally sponsored project of the Alliance for a Just Society (501c3) and is an equal opportunity employer, and women, people of color, persons with disabilities, and LGBTQI people are strongly encouraged to apply. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression, nor any other basis protected under law. We embrace the full spectrum of humanity and the intersectional nature of our existence and imaginative energies. We embody diversity in our staff, board, the artists and partners we work with, and the audiences we attract.

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Application Procedure

Interested applicants are asked to please email:

• Cover letter 
• Resume

Please email with the subject line “Your Name: Director of Development” to jobs@nativeorganizing.org

Only those whose applications are being considered will be contacted. Position open until filled. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

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.avia-section.av-jcvycj-9f2550a1b53c16788ff6a51b9204be42{ background-color:#f8f8f8; background-image:unset; } Social Media and Digital Manager
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Job Description

The Social Media and Digital Manager is a full-time role responsible for strengthening Native Organizers Alliance/Native Organizers Alliance Action Fund’s (NOA/NOAAF) digital presence. Working closely with the Communications Director, this position supports developing and implementing strategic social media campaigns, creating digital content, and managing updates to the NOA website. The ideal candidate has a strong understanding of the political landscapes shaping Indian Country and the current national conversation, along with the ability to respond quickly to emerging opportunities for narrative change.

Key social media duties include planning, creating, scheduling, and tracking content; sourcing images and artwork; monitoring campaign performance; and analyzing platform algorithms to evaluate audience reach and engagement.

Website responsibilities involve maintaining and updating content through WordPress, posting blogs, and assisting with ongoing webpage updates in coordination with the Communications Director.

This role is essential in shaping NOA/NOAAF’s digital narrative, expanding audience reach, and increasing engagement across platforms. The ideal candidate is creative, innovative, a self-starter, multimedia savvy, well-organized, adaptable, and possesses excellent writing and communication skills.

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Primary responsibilities:

• Develop and execute social media and digital content strategies, including messaging, audience targeting, and editorial planning
• Create, publish, schedule, and manage daily content across social media and website (text, graphics, video, and multimedia)
• Build and manage NOA/NOAAF’s social media presence by engaging community members, moderating content, and fostering meaningful online dialogue
• Monitor political, cultural, and media developments affecting Indian Country and the broader national landscape, and rapidly develop digital content and campaigns that advance narrative change
• Track, analyze, and report on social media and website performance to inform strategy, increase reach, and improve engagement
• Maintain and update website content, including publishing blogs and collaborative content with the Communications Director
• Collaborate with communications, narrative, design, and partner teams to ensure cohesive messaging, brand consistency, and coordinated campaigns
• Help develop social media campaigns in collaboration with partner Tribes, Native community groups, and ally organizations
• Manage content calendars for social media and website platforms, aligning with short and long-term organizational goals and priorities
• Ensure digital content complies with legal, ethical, and organizational standards, including copyright, data protection, and C3/C4 requirements
• Stay current on digital trends, platform updates, and best practices to generate new ideas and grow audiences
• Support the Communications Director with crisis communications, public relations, and other duties as assigned

Requirements:

• 2+ years’ experience in digital marketing and social media for an organization
• Strong familiarity with the business applications of social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn, etc.)
• Knowledge of WordPress website management and best practices
• Understanding of social media metrics; able to interpret the results and take action to increase the effectiveness of social media campaigns
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work independently and be well organized in a remote setting

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Qualifications – You could be great for this role if you:

• ​​Honor the idea of Native beliefs and practices as the guiding principles of NOA’s organizational culture, political strategy, and ways of working within the staff and with all our relations.
• Have a deep knowledge of the politics and issues impacting tribal and Native communities.
• Have a strong knowledge of intertribal Native history and culture.
• Have knowledge of and commitment to progressive social change movements and grassroots organizing as the key to building political power.
• Understand the decisive role tribal governments play in the movements for achieving sovereignty, protecting civil and human rights, and creating systemic change in nation-to-nation relations with the federal government.
• Have the ability to assess political moments as they unfold and respond with culturally grounded, values-aligned digital strategies that advance Native-led narrative change.
• Can communicate clearly and effectively.
• Are familiar with managing work plans and are able to participate in setting priorities and meeting deadlines.
• Are detail-oriented and able to manage your time efficiently in remote work.
• Possess solid problem-solving skills and know how to give and receive feedback well.
• Have a desire to grow and develop personally, and deepen our collective Indigenous frameworks.
• You want to learn from others in an exciting moment in Native history with an organization committed to movement-building for transformational change.

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Compensation

Salary: $75,000

Location: Remote (some travel for staff gatherings, campaigns, and events or conferences) 

Native Organizers Alliance is a fiscally sponsored project of the Alliance for a Just Society (501c3) and is an equal opportunity employer, and women, people of color, persons with disabilities, and LGBTQI people are strongly encouraged to apply. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression, nor any other basis protected under law. We embrace the full spectrum of humanity and the intersectional nature of our existence and imaginative energies. We embody diversity in our staff, board, the artists and partners we work with, and the audiences we attract.

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Application Procedure

Interested applicants are asked to please email:

• Cover letter or social media campaign examples
• Resume

Please email with the subject line “Your Name: Social Media and Digital Manager” to: jobs@nativeorganizing.org

Only those whose applications are being considered will be contacted. Position open until filled. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

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According to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s speech at the World Economic Forum, “if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.” But what does that mean for Indigenous Peoples, who have long demanded a seat at the table, only to find that the table itself has been set by others – that their territories, governance, and futures remain on the menu?

Carney’s address in Davos, Switzerland earlier this month was widely praised, resulting in a rare standing ovation. It referenced “a series of crises in finance, health, energy, and geopolitics” and argued that the rules-based order that “middle powers” relied on, is no more. He argued that countries like Canada must seek alternatives to a system that can be exploited by the powerful. Coincidentally, Carney’s words reflect parallels to the relationship of power and exclusion that underscores Canada’s treatment of Indigenous Peoples. 

From Davos to DRIPA

In our home province of British Columbia (BC), Premier David Eby has recently stated his government’s intent to amend the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA). Citing ill-informed and unfounded concerns about private property rights following the Quw’utsun (Cowichan) decision, Eby also plans to appeal the court decision. All of this, in addition to new provincial legislation designed to circumvent Indigenous rights, and a growing residential school denialism movement.

The recent developments in BC demonstrate the frailty of Canada’s “reconciliation efforts.” Carney’s address does not mention Indigenous Peoples, of course, or climate change – instead noting his own plans to fast-track energy projects which will exacerbate the overriding of Indigenous rights and title.

Since contact, Canada’s relationship with Indigenous Peoples has been unbalanced, extractive, and harmful. These historical patterns are rebranded through time, from taming the wilderness in the contact era to the more contemporary idea of economic necessity – all in the service of legitimizing resource extraction. When Indigenous rights and title stand in the way of the “national interest,” Canada turns to legislation, the courts (when convenient), and political discourse.

Make no mistake, the system of intensifying great power Carney warns about is Canada – still a part of the same “rules-based order,” but in many ways, the description of “great powers” is more convincingly apt when applied to Canada. 

In his remarks, Carney reaffirmed Canada’s stated “commitment to fundamental values: sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the prohibition of the use of force except when consistent with the UN Charter and respect for human rights.” At the same time, the urgency of present political moments can make it difficult to discern ongoing violations of our human rights (Whyte 2019). In the United States, this is unfolding in real time, with the threat of state-sanctioned armed violence from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). As tensions continue to escalate, there have been increased concerns on both sides of the imposed border about the violations of our Indigenous and human rights. Engaging with Carney’s call to be “clear-eyed,” we have an opportunity to reflect critically on the relationship between public commitments and their realizations in practice. 

Canada has a long history of using militarized law enforcement to quell Indigenous resistance at home – UN Charter, human rights, UNDRIP, even Canadian law (a rules-based order) notwithstanding. This is justified by appealing to the “national interest.” The Oka Crisis, the Mi’kmaq Lobster Fishery Dispute, Fairy Creek Blockade, and the Coastal Gaslink conflict all represent militarized conflict over the extraction of natural resources within Indigenous territories. Given this worrying trend, communities who oppose the most recently green-lit Prince Rupert Gas Transmission (PRGT) pipeline construction are concerned about troubling times ahead.

The intensification of the climate crisis, escalating geopolitical tensions, and continued undermining of Indigenous rights all contribute to the disconnections that are rapidly becoming apparent within and between Nations. As Carney observes, “we are in a rupture, not a transition.” The hypocrisy in this statement is apparent to Indigenous people who have faced the brunt of Canadian power. But there is more than hypocrisy here – there is an erasure of Indigenous participation in Canada’s approach to the post-rules based order.

If there is one key difference between the international order and the Canadian order, it’s Carney’s reference to “rupture.” There has not yet been a rupture in the rules governing Indigenous people and the Crown. But, there should be. New Constellations of Co-Resistance

It is time for Indigenous people to seriously seek out alternatives; to turn our attention towards forming what Leanne Simpson calls constellations of co-resistance (2017). These constellations uphold our responsibilities to each other and to our territories; a re-framing that will involve active, practical work as well as intentional political engagement (Gould, Martinez, and Hoelting 2023). It is in these constellations of co-resistance, these relationalities, that we can work towards our collective liberation (Simpson 2017; Starblanket and Stark 2018). 

Recentering relationality offers a more sustainable path forward: one grounded in responsibility, reciprocity, and shared authority rather than accommodation, coercion, and legislative strong-arming. Now is not the time to succumb to the powers that be, or to fall prey to divisionary state tactics we see increasingly on display in the era of “economic reconciliation.” Instead, we need to move beyond incremental changes to begin to address the power structures and oppressive systems of the “old world order” that we are still very much living in. 

Indigenous internationalism and solidarity involve challenging imposed and figurative borders, and “decentering the state” (Corntassel, 2021, p. 73). By doing so, we actively resist the colonial norms of individualism, cognitive imperialism, and extractivism. As Alley (2025) argues “solidarity is…both our greatest strength and our greatest weapon in our common struggles for liberation, self-determination, justice, and human rights (p.165).” Accountability and responsibility to our Nations, relationalities, and Indigenous internationalisms has transformative potential. Of course, this is a vision many of us subscribe to. Now we must do the work of realizing it in tangible, practical terms. 

Just as Carney proposes to middle powers – it is time to strategize. To take our territories, governance, and futures off the menu by resisting the fragmentation of our relationalities within and between Nations. This resistance will not be without challenge. As Starblanket and Stark (2018) note, “through our choices we have the potential to actively change the world we inhabit (p.177).” Coalition-building, coming together in real time and space, building our Nation-to-Nation and international constellations of co-resistance is still possible. Let us – Indigenous Peoples – take one sure thing from Carney’s address:

“the powerful have their power. But we have something too – the capacity to stop pretending, to name reality, to build our strength at home, and to act together.” Endnotes

Alley, Kim. 2025. “Global Grassroots Indigenous Internationalism in a Time of Genocide.” Native American and Indigenous Studies 12(1): 160-169. https://doi/org/10.1353/nai.2025.a957116

Corntassel, Jeff. 2021. “Life Beyond the State: Regenerating Indigenous International Relations and Everyday Challenges to Settler Colonialism.” Anarchist Developments in Cultural Studies 2021(1):71-97.

De Bruin, Tabitha. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act [DRIPA], 2019. https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/19044 

Gould, Rachelle., Martinez, Doreen., and Hoelting, Kristin. 2020. Exploring Indigenous relationality to inform the relational turn in sustainability science. Ecosystems and People. 19(1). Available from: https://doi.org/10.1080/26395916.2023.2229452 

Simpson, Leanne B. 2017. As We Have Always Done: Indigenous Freedom Through Radical Resistance. University of Minnesota Press. Starblanket, Gina., and Heidi Kiiwetinepisiik Stark. 2018. “Towards a Relational Paradigm – Four Points for Consideration: Knowledge, Gender, Land, and Modernity.” In Resurgence and Reconciliation: Indigenous Settler-Relations and Earth Teachings, edited by M. Asch., J. Tully, and John Borrows. University of Toronto Press. 

Whyte Kyle. 2019. “Too late for indigenous Climate Justice: Ecological and Relational Tipping Points.” WIREs Climate Change 11(3):1–7. https://knowledgecircles.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Whyte-2019.pdf

Citation: Wale, Janna and Michaela M. McGuire. “Reflections on “Rupture”: Mark Carney’s New World Order & an Indigenous Response,” Yellowhead Institute. February 03, 2026. https://yellowheadinstitute.org/2026/reflections-on-rupture-mark-carneys-new-world-order-an-indigenous-response/

Artwork by Alyssa Wale

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