“Wow!” is the only word I have to say in response to my past experiences in the last little while!

I had the opportunity to attend the Assembly of First Nations Annual General Assembly. This was my first time attending this event and I had a lot of fun! I was able to attend because it happened this time in Toronto (which is close to where I am currently living). I also had the chance to participate in my first Liberal.ca/live webcast! It was a lot of fun!

I had the opportunity to interview Sheila Isaac of the Indigenous Women in Community Leadership program of the Coady Institution and one of her graduates of the program; Bridget Tolley (pictured with me below), one of the co-founders of Families of Sisters in Spirit (who is amazing by the way); Tammy Martin, the executive assistant to the VP of education at Indspire, formerly known as National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation; and Jeannette Corbiere-Lavell, the president of the Native Women’s Association of Canada. It was really awesome to be able to interview all these strong, inspirational women while also being at an event that also had several strong, inspirational women running for the position of National Chief! There was such a positive vibe at these event!

I also had the opportunity to meet many amazing people, and had a few people come up to me to introduce themselves to me since they knew me from twitter (Don’t you just love twitter for that!). Some of the amazing people that were also there were Dr. Carolyn Bennett, our Liberal Aboriginal Critic, Dr. Kristy Duncan, our Liberal Environmental Critic, the fellow from EHL Homes who helped deliver homes to Attawapiskat, Cindy Blackstock, First Nations Child and Youth Advocate, and many many more! There were so many people who stopped by to find out more information, and to share their stories!

One particular story or interview that I enjoyed hearing was Alvin Powell’s interview. I was sitting in the back behind the curtain when he was on live. However, I could hear him telling his story and what he is up to now. I decided to approach him after hearing what he had to say on drug use. We talked a bit about our past and it was really nice to meet someone who shared similar experiences. I had to take a picture with him because he was sooooo tall, and he also used to play for the Miami Dolphins and Seattle Seahawks! For the record, I am about 5’9.

What the most exciting thing was being able to share a little bit about the APC to other Indigenous women who were interested in participating with the commission. That was really awesome especially since I am the VP-women’s rep. To be able to share my experiences and to get them excited about wanting to learn more about the LPC and the APC was super rewarding!

In the end, I had a really good time and I hope that I can make it again for future AGAs. The people that made the webcast and the booth happen: I just want to say thanks for everything and all the help/teamwork that everyone put forth! I have met a definite group of nice, young, ambitious Indigenous peeps that make me proud to be both Indigenous and a Liberal!

For more information on the APC, click HERE.