Community question 2 of 10
Indigenous relations, accountability & rebuilding trust
Repair starts with acknowledging harm, listening to First Nation leadership, and doing the work consistently over time.
The question
As an Indigenous resident of Marathon, where do you stand on the “we aren’t the right colour” comment and the damage to relations with Biigtigong Nishnaabeg and Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg? How would you, as a councillor, help repair these relationships?
My answer
I think this is an incredibly important question, and it deserves a direct answer.
As a non-Indigenous person, I found the “we aren’t the right colour” comment deeply offensive, derogatory and racist. I was troubled by the comment itself, and I was also deeply concerned by how everything that followed was handled.
Regardless of what the intent behind those words may have been, the impact was very real. Biigtigong Nishnaabeg and Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg expressed that they were hurt, that they did not feel heard, and that their concerns were being dismissed. For me, accountability has to begin with acknowledging that harm rather than explaining it away.
I also believe the lack of clear, transparent communication afterward caused further damage. This was not only about the relationship between the Town of Marathon and our neighbouring First Nations. It also affected Indigenous people who live right here in Marathon — our friends, neighbours, colleagues and family members.
I want to be clear that I would only be one member of Council, and I would never suggest that I personally know how to repair this relationship. I don’t. Nor do I think the Town should decide on its own what repair should look like.
What I would bring to Council is a strong conviction that we need to do our part to make this right. I would support sitting down with the leadership of Biigtigong Nishnaabeg and Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg and asking a simple but important question: What do you need from the Town of Marathon to begin rebuilding trust?
It starts with sitting together — whether across a table or in a circle — and truly listening. Not arriving with predetermined answers or telling another community what reconciliation should look like, but listening to what they tell us they need and being prepared to act on it.
I would support meaningful Indigenous participation in decisions that affect our shared region, ongoing Council-to-Council dialogue, education and cultural competency for Council and municipal leadership, and clear accountability when concerns are raised.
A new Council cannot go back and change what happened. But it can take responsibility for what happens next. Reconciliation cannot simply be something we say we support. It has to be reflected in how we behave, how we listen, how we respond when harm occurs, and how we show up in our relationships over time.
Trust was damaged. It cannot be demanded back — it has to be earned. If I am elected, I will be committed to doing my part to help earn it back.