Indigenous advocates in Hamilton are calling on elected officials to create a new council seat that would represent First Nations, Inuit and Métis people in the city.
If it were to happen, Hamilton would be the first city in Canada with such an elected position, said NaWalka Geeshy Meegwun on behalf of the Circle of Beads, an Indigenous consultation circle, at a news conference Monday.
“It’s extremely important to have an Indigenous voice and perspective at the table on all matters brought there, particularly those that have to do with the land, air and water,” said NaWalka Geeshy Meegwun, a member of the Kettle and Stoney Point First Nations and Indigenous justice coordinator at the Hamilton Community Legal Clinic.
The Indigenous councillor would be elected by the 12,500 Indigenous people living across Hamilton, who make up about two per cent of the city’s population, according to 2021 census data, although that’s likely an underrepresentation, said NaWalka Geeshy Meegwun.
The Indigenous councillor would provide the city with “easier access” to Indigenous voices and perspectives, and encourage officials to do more meaningful consultation, said NaWalka Geeshy Meegwun.
Hamilton would need province’s help
Audrey Davis, executive director at Hamilton Regional Indian Centre, said the seat would send an important signal to local Indigenous residents.
“For Indigenous people to have a recognized Indigenous voice at the city level could make life a little easier for us because it shows acceptance and that colonization and its impacts are being worked on,” said Davis, who is of the Mohawk Turtle Clan from Six Nations.
The Circle of Beads has pitched the idea of an Indigenous councillor two times in the last year, and will do so again as a formal delegation at a general issues committee meeting next week, said NaWalka Geeshy Meegwun.
The group also said such a council seat “aligns perfectly” with the Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Report, the United Nations Declaration of Indigenous Rights and the city’s Urban Indigenous Strategy.
Council is interested in learning more, said Mayor Andrea Horwath in a statement emailed to CBC Hamilton.
“However, this requires changes to provincial legislation and is something that requires staff to understand what implications there are, and if it is possible,” she said. “I believe the best thing is for us to get all of that information in order to make any kind of decision.”
The province did not respond to a request for comment before publication.
Halifax council is undergoing a similar process to potentially create a designated Mi’kmaw seat.
Last November, council requested Nova Scotia’s provincial government amend its municipal legislation to allow it. The province hasn’t yet made a decision and is unlikely to before the Oct. 19 municipal election, said spokesperson Ryan Nearing.