Indigenous Rights and Resistance

Tanya Kappo

Community based organizing has always been a critical means of advancing and protecting Indigenous rights in Canada. Indigenous people in Alberta have led and been on the front line of many grassroots driven efforts. This plenary session will highlight the Red Paper, Idle No More, Walking With Our Sisters and the recent Indigenous Rock the Vote 2026.

Tanya Kappo is from the Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation in Treaty 8 territory. She has worked tirelessly throughout her career and private life, towards authentic reconciliation and treaty implementation including the revitalization and return of indigenous laws and ways of being. Tanya is a graduate of the Faculty of Law at the University of Manitoba. She also holds an LLM in Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy from the University of Arizona.

Where do we go from here: Immigration in Alberta in the aftermath of the referendum

Bronwyn Bragg, Assistant Professor, University of Lethbridge

The last year in Alberta brought an escalation in anti-immigrant rhetoric in the form of five problematic immigration related questions as part of the October referendum. This effort was led by the governing UCP but reflected an immigration politics promoted by separatists and characterized by far-right rhetoric. Attitudes toward immigration in Canada have hardened, creating an environment where there is increased support for policies that curtail the rights of migrants and immigrants in Canada. In the aftermath of the referendum, where do organizations, organizers, and those who support and work with migrant communities go from here? What lessons did we learn from the fight over immigration? How do we move forward from here?

Bronwyn Bragg is an assistant professor in the department of geography and environment at the University of Lethbridge. Bronwyn has worked with immigrant and migrant communities in Alberta since 2011. Specializing in migration, feminist political economy, and precarious work, she has published articles on immigrant labour, citizenship, family reunification, and immigration policy. Her research is supported by the Social Sciences Humanities Research Council of Canada. Her first book will be published in November 2026 with McGill Queen's University Press on refugee integration in Canada.

Migrante Alberta

More information coming soon!

Building Toward First Nations Health Sovereignty One Building at a Time

Janice Willier, Lubicon Nation Health Centre

The Lubicon Lake Band have developed a unique approach to projects that challenges existing concepts of how to provide health services in a rural and remote area. They created a climate resilient protocol designed for Northern Canada, which is now being referred to nationally as 'The Lubicon Protocol.' They have also ensured that the community is safe by ensuring each contractor and their employees adhere to the Lubicon Social Conduct, Cultural Respect and Reconciliation Policy before entering their community. This ensures mutual respect and safety of community members. They seek out partnerships to provide the best care possible while still balancing innovation and traditional values.

Janice Willier (Wapikihew Iskwew) is a Cree Woman from Sucker Creek First Nation in Treaty 8 territory and mother of two adult sons. She currently resides in Edmonton and recently started her own consulting business helping First Nations achieve their goals in delivering Health programs and services in new and innovative ways.

Advancing the promise of universal health coverage: Evidence of “slow justice” in access to care

Edward Xie, Assistant Professor, University of Toronto; Canadian Doctors for Medicare

Universal health coverage in Canada does not mean that everyone has access to care or is protected from financial hardships. Even when coverage is available, it can be unequal. Due to austerity policies, privatization, and technological change, existing health care services are being eroded. This presentation provides an overview of evidence on gaps in health care coverage in Canada, illustrated with examples of efforts to strengthen publicly-financed services, and restore insurance to refugees and asylum seekers.

Edward Xie works as an emergency physician, an Assistant Professor of Family and Community Medicine, and a Fellow of the Collaborative Centre for Climate, Health and Sustainable Care (Climate & Health Institute) at the University of Toronto. He has been a Director on the board of Canadian Doctors for Medicare since 2023. In these roles, Edward participates in research, education and advocacy on social and environmental justice and equitable health policies.

Close to Home: Making the World’s Hardest Topics Impossible to Scroll Past

Hazel Thayer

People reach for their screens for entertainment and distraction, not to learn about the hard topics. Climate, inequality, systems collapse, and their solutions are hard to sneak past the algorithm: but we can make learning that leads to action relevant, and even entertaining.

Hazel Thayer is a Canadian-American video creator in Victoria, BC. She began performing stand-up comedy in 2019 as a way to discuss climate change, feeling traditional dry, scientific framing didn’t resonate with audiences the way humor did. With an economics degree from the University of Alberta, she makes the world’s biggest problems (and solutions) relevant and entertaining, reaching audiences across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, with a total following of over 450,000.