Indigenous women are taking their rightful place in Canadian politics in ever-growing numbers.
In 1980, only two Indigenous women held office as First Nations chiefs across the country, one of whom was Marie-Anne Day Walker-Pelletier. Marie-Anne was chief for thirty-nine consecutive years (1981-2020) of Okanese First Nation, Treaty 4 Territory.
Born in Saskatchewan in 1954, Marie-Anne was a residential school survivor who holds the honour of the Order of Canada (appointed in 2018). At the age of 26, she held a leadership role in her First Nations community when this was beyond a rarity. Her pioneering has helped to create a change where now one-third of chiefs across Canada are women.
Marie-Anne’s accomplishments are many and significant. Perhaps the most significant, though difficult to single out, was her securing 4,856 hectares in land entitlements. She oversaw the construction of a $300,000 water treatment plant that was desperately needed. Access to clean water is a fundamental human right, and certainly we would assume that in a country like Canada that would be the case, but it is something that many Indigenous communities do not have.
She founded the Saskatchewan First Nations Women’s Commission and the Provincial Partnership Committee on Missing Persons. She worked to provide safe shelters and promoted anti-violence initiatives for the safety of Indigenous women and children.
She was a tireless advocate for “language preservation, treaty rights, and cultural revitalization” (Canadian Encyclopedia).
She hosted national Indigenous healing conferences in 2000 and chaired the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations in 2005.
She was a member of the Indigenous delegation in 2022 who travelled to the Vatican to meet with Pope Francis to speak about the harms residential schools inflicted on Indigenous children.
Marie-Anne transformed First Nations politics by breaking down gender barriers. She modernized governance for her Nation. She spoke up for reforms for vulnerable women and children and represented Indigenous peoples at national and international levels.
164 Indigenous women currently hold the position of First Nations chief across Canada thanks to the barrier-breaking work of Marie-Anne. If we look back to traditional governance of Indigenous nations, many had a matrilineal system—tracing ancestral descent through the maternal line—where women held significant political authority.
The Indian Act and other colonial laws suppressed these systems, stripping Indigenous women of their political rights, which meant they were only able to vote in federal elections in 1960. Change was also made possible by the activism of Mary Two-Axe Earley, Jeannette Corbiere Lavell, and Sandra Lovelace, who challenged the laws and helped to dismantle sex-based discrimination and opened political pathways that allowed for the number of Indigenous women holding office today.
The role of Indigenous women in governance is essential because they focus on grassroots issues and on the well-being of the family unit. They champion social services and provide for healing and community safety while men tend to prioritize economic development.
Society cannot be a healthy whole without recognizing and providing social services. Women have always played a role in leadership regardless of whether they held a title or not. Their work was often accomplished outside the settler structures. Community care was front and centre, along with ceremony-based leadership, their authority within and beyond elected roles, and their work not measured or considered noteworthy.
The greater number of Indigenous women in politics has helped reshape governance. Policies are now often focused on the community. There is a greater focus on social justice, safety, and healing, and a revitalization of traditional Indigenous governance. Women’s voices are being heard in national conversations, and they continue to challenge colonial structures that still marginalize Indigenous women. This movement is not just political—it’s cultural, historical, and deeply tied to self determination.
Jody Wilson-Raybould was appointed to the role of Minister of Justice and the Attorney General of Canada from 2015 to 2019, the first Indigenous person to hold this office. She is currently undergoing breast cancer treatment but continues to write and advocate for Indigenous governance.
Michelle O’Bonsawin is the first Indigenous justice appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada (2022). Michelle is a member of the Odanak First Nation in central Quebec. She brings her expertise in mental health law and Indigenous justice to the Bench.
She applies Gladue principles (established in 1999) in her rulings. Gladue principles follow two requirements: 1) Judges must consider how colonialism and discrimination may have affected the person who stands accused of a crime. Residential school history, forced relocation, foster care, poverty, trauma and addiction all play a role in how this individual arrived where they are. 2) Sentencing must be aligned with Indigenous culture and consider alternatives to jail time, such as community-based healing programs and restorative justice.
These are just several of many Indigenous women who have helped shape the essential role Indigenous women play, some with a loud voice demanding to be heard and others who quietly go about creating positive change. Making their actions part of the conversation plays an important role as we move forward, serving as a role model for all young women. We have much to learn from the traditional wisdom of Indigenous peoples.
