Indigenous activist uses traditional knowledge in a modern world to inspire climate action

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Many may remember Autumn Peltier for the words she shared with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau when she was just 12 years old.

In December 2016, during the Assembly of First Nations’ annual winter gathering in Quebec, the Anishinaabekwe Indigenous rights activist told the prime minister she was “very unhappy” with the choices he had made. She was referring to the federal government’s support of various pipeline projects, including its recent approval of the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain expansion project.

Nearly seven years later, Peltier continues to advocate for access to clean drinking water among members of Indigenous communities and says her job is far from done.

Peltier’s work as an Indigenous rights and clean water activist was highlighted at this year’s Collision tech conference, which took place from June 26 to 29. As a speaker at the conference, Peltier discussed what the next generation of climate activists might look like.

The 18-year-old has spent more than half her life speaking about the value of clean water to organizations such as the United Nations and the World Economic Forum. Although various long-term drinking water advisories have been lifted in recent years, nearly 30 warnings remain in place in 26 communities across Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario, as of June 19.

More than 20 short-term drinking water advisories also remain in place, as of June 29. A drinking water advisory becomes long-term when it has been in effect for more than one year.

“My aunt Josephine died doing her work,” Peltier told CTVNews.ca in an interview on Tuesday, referring to Josephine Mandamin, an activist who fought against water pollution before she passed away in 2019 at the age of 77.

“I’m honestly afraid that I might do the same,” Peltier said. “Indigenous people are living in third-world conditions in a first-world country.”

But youth involvement in climate activism has given her hope, she said.

“The most people that I've been seeing stand up and use their voice are young people,” she said.

In recent years, children and youth have become a major force in climate activism in recent years, Peltier said. This includes 20-year-old Greta Thunberg, and 26-year-old Vanessa Nakate, who spoke at a two-day climate finance summit in Paris last month.

“The strongest voices and most powerful voices I've heard are [from] the young people,” she said. “You generally wouldn't think a young person is going to speak up about world or political issues and that's why it's so much more powerful … because we shouldn't have to be talking about those things.”

'WITHOUT WATER, THERE LITERALLY IS NO LIFE'

Peltier is from Wiikwemkoong First Nation on Manitoulin Island in Ontario. As the chief water commissioner for the Anishinabek Nation, she uses Indigenous traditional knowledge to influence her work. Peltier explained that Indigenous communities believe water is a living entity with its own spirit.

“We live in our mother's womb for nine months and so without water, there literally is no life,” she said.

Her advocacy work began with pushing for clean drinking water in Indigenous communities when she was just eight years old. Over the last 10 years, this work has expanded to include bringing awareness to other issues faced by Indigenous peoples, she said.

“Issues around racism, discrimination, missing and murdered Indigenous women and of course, residential schools – they all tie in together,” she said.

Through her work, she hopes to continue to inspire younger generations to protect the environment and advocate for Indigenous rights, Peltier said.

Last year, Peltier received the Daniel G. Hill Human Rights Award from the Ontario Human Rights Commission as well as the Emerging Canadian Leader Award from Public Policy Forum.

For now, Peltier said she is preparing to study criminology in the fall, as a way of continuing to advocate for the rights of Indigenous Peoples.

“I'm looking to base my work around the high rates of Indigenous people in the criminal justice system and missing and murdered Indigenous women,” she said. “This is what I also feel passionate about.”

When looking at the future of activism, Peltier hopes to see more collaboration among different races and members of society from various economic backgrounds, she said.

She also hopes to see more government funding go towards securing clean drinking water for Indigenous communities that still lack access, as well as a larger shift towards better prioritizing Indigenous rights.

In 2021, the federal government approved an $8-billion settlement to address concerns around long-term drinking water advisories on reserves. This included a commitment to spend at least $6 billion over nine years on the construction and maintenance of water infrastructure on reserves.

As part of the settlement, $1.5 billion has also gone towards compensating Indigenous people who had been without drinking water for at least one year between 1995 and 2021. But some Indigenous community members have called the settlement unfair.