Reconciliation Through Justice

Event Details

We welcome elders Doreen Spence and Harry Lafond on Thursday evening, May 18 at 7:00 pm MT to speak to us on the issues surrounding land and reconciliation. Scroll to the bottom of the page to register.

ABOUT DOREEN SPENCE

Born in the Cree Nation of Saddle Lake in Northern Alberta, Doreen Spence was raised by two Traditional Cree Elders, her grandparents. Their teachings of love, kindness, humanity, language, and ethics shaped her childhood and helped Doreen to become the determined, resilient woman that she is.

In 1959, Doreen became one of the first Indigenous women to obtain a Practical Nursing Certificate, leading her to a nursing career that spanned over 40 years. Throughout her career she volunteered in numerous and often challenging initiatives with the police force, school systems, and hospitals to preserve traditions and ensure a promising future for the community.

In Calgary, where she still lives, Doreen was instrumental in the development of the then, Calgary Urban Aboriginal Initiative, a grassroots organization providing a foundation for the city to discuss human rights issues facing the Indigenous community and to investigate possible solutions.

Following in her grandparents’ footsteps, Doreen Spence is an internationally-respected traditional Cree Elder, and a strong advocate for human rights. She was invited to sit as a committee member on the working group that developed the draft United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, along with her cousin Chief Willie Littlechild. In October 2022, she was awarded the Order of Canada by Governor General Mary Simon for her teachings of unconditional love and reconciliation. Other recognitions Spence has received include the Chief David Crowchild Award in 1992 for her leadership in building relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities in Calgary, the Alberta Centennial Medal in 2005, and in 2017 the Indspire award in the culture, heritage and spirituality category.

ABOUT HARRY LAFOND

Harry lives on the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation which is in Treaty 6 Territory. He belongs to the Cree Nation which occupies the territories stretching from James Bay to the Rocky Mountains. By profession he is a trained teacher and taught from elementary classrooms to university classes. He has a Master’s degree in education with certification to teach the Cree language.

Harry served the people of Muskeg Lake as chief for 10 years. He is currently a councillor and has served in that role for the past 9 years. For 11 years he served as the Executive Director of the Office of the Treaty Commissioner in Saskatchewan. Harry believes in the power of building relationships as the primary road to a better community and the building block to the strengthening of a people.

Register

The deadline has passed for this event and is not available for registration. Please call to register.

Schedule