Now You Know Me: Seeing the Unhidden Truth in Settler Colonialism

k'ʷunəmɛn Joe Gallagher

Featured Speaker

k'ʷunəmɛn Joe Gallagher is Coast Salish from the ɬaʔəmen (Tla’amin) Nation. His mom Ann was from the χʷɛmaɬku (Homalco) Nation, and his father Norman was also from the ɬaʔəmen (Tla’amin) Nation. Both ɬaʔəmen (Tla’amin) and χʷɛmaɬku (Homalco) are part of the Ey7á7juuthem(EYE-a-jooth-um) speaking people which also includes the ƛohos (Klahoose) and θaɬaθtuxʷ (K'ómoks) Peoples, and who’s rich territory is the northernmost part of the overall Coast Salish territory. Joe was born in the heart of the ɬaʔəmen territory in a mill town settler colonialists named Powell River and was raised on the Sliammon (ɬaʔəmen) Indian Reserve #1.

Joe has overcome many roadblocks to become a leader on the soccer field, in his community and beyond. He proudly represented the ɬaʔəmen Nation in the highly competitive First Nations Soccer circuit and played at an elite level with the University of Victoria and with several teams in the Vancouver Island Premier league. During his playing days Joe also represented Canada in Futsal. As a community leader Joe has worked with First Nations Peoples in areas of health, governance, community and economic development, business development, intergovernmental affairs, and treaty negotiations.

He was the executive lead in the formation of a new health governance partnership between BC First Nations, the province of British Columbia and the government of Canada. This work, a first for Canada, led to Joe being the founding Chief Executive Officer for the First Nations Health Authority, supporting the health and wellness for the over 200 First Nations. Joe currently holds the role of Vice President of Indigenous Health and Cultural Safety at the Provincial Health Services Authority in BC.

John Matterson

Featured Speaker

John Matterson is originally from Powell River, BC., and now lives in Tsawwassen, BC. His mother, Kathleen, came to Canada as a teenager from England, and his dad, Dal grew up in the BC communities of Ucluelet and Ladner. John is retired and taking on the challenge of Parkinson's disease which he was diagnosed with in 2015.

John worked in the BC Forest Industry and in Technology companies holding executive roles with several global companies. He has travelled to over 40 countries and has lived and worked in Michigan, California, and Singapore. As a management consultant, he has helped many companies grow profitably.

John is an avid golfer and is back playing soccer at 61. He writes a blog on his experiences with Parkinson’s Disease and on his personal journey of truth and reconciliation. He is looking to make a difference in the world by opening his, and other people’s eyes, to his experiences with Parkinson’s and to the unearned privilege he has received as a white man growing up on traditional First Nations land.

The Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould

Guest Speaker

The Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould was the Member of Parliament for Vancouver Granville from 2015 to 2021 and served as the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, the Minister of Veterans Affairs, and the Associate Minister of National Defence. She was a 2021 Balsillie Prize for Public Policy finalist for her memoir, “Indian” in the Cabinet: Speaking Truth to Power.

A member of the We Wai Kai Nation, Wilson-Raybould is a descendant of the Musgamagw Tsawataineuk and Laich-Kwil-Tach peoples, which are part of the Kwakwaka’wakw and also known as the Kwak’wala-speaking peoples. Her traditional name, Puglaas, means “woman born to noble people.”

Andrea Crossan

Moderator

Andrea Crossan is a member of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation. She is an award-winning radio journalist with over 30 years of experience, reporting from over a dozen countries, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Ukraine, South Africa, Uganda, and Brazil. She is currently the executive editor of the Global Reporting Centre (GRC), an independent news organization based out of UBC.