An Indigenous Realist Analysis of the Alberta Separatist Movement

Matthew Wildcat

Bill 54, the Election Statutes Amendment Act, has been widely interpreted as entertaining the possibility of Alberta separation. First Nation leaders have said the bill undermines treaty rights and is illegal. I argue a focus on the legality of Alberta’s separation distracts from the real danger posed by an emboldened Alberta separatist movement. The danger of the separatist movement is their latent policy position that Indigenous peoples should not have a distinct political status, reminiscent of the 1969 White Paper. Rather than separation being the focus of our attention, we should focus on the dangers posed by a separatist movement that is hostile to Indigenous Peoples in Alberta.

Matthew Wildcat is a member of Ermineskin Cree Nation. He is an Assistant Professor and the Director of Indigenous Governance in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta. Read more

The Persistence of the Palestine Exception in Canadian Policy and Academic Discourse: What Does It Tell Us About Canadian Institutions?

Muhannad Ayyash

After 19 months of genocide in Gaza, massive demonstrations, student encampments, and a shift in public opinion towards support for Palestinian rights, Canadian institutions continue to render the Palestinian aspiration for decolonial liberation as unintelligible – as something that cannot enter valid and legitimate policy discourse. Ironically, the more Canadian institutions seek to conceal the settler colonization of Palestine, the more the colonial nature of reality is revealed— not just in Palestine, but in Canada as well. In that sense, the “Palestine Exception” reveals that Canadian institutions are not simply refusing to apply to Palestine what they apply to other cases of injustice (prioritizing human rights, anti-racism, decolonization, etc.), but rather that these institutions are structured in a way that is antithetical to the ideals of substantive anti-racism and decolonization.

Dr. Muhannad Ayyash was born and raised in Silwan, Al-Quds, before immigrating to Canada where he is a Professor of Sociology at Mount Royal University. Read more

Alienated Labour and the Question of Palestine

Corey Snelgrove

The Palestinian solidarity movement has made implication and complicity keywords of our time. While these efforts draw attention to what we might call the bounds of freedom, they also illustrate how “Palestine has the potential to set us free” (Erakat 2024). In this talk, I offer some reflections on the connections between implication and alienated labor and what this might mean for the academic sector.

More specifically, I argue that implication requires a move beyond the limitations of non-interference vis-à-vis the discourse of ‘academic freedom’ to a more expansive concept of democratic control. To end our implication in the colonization of Palestine would then necessitate the expansion of democratic control. This is just one instance of what I take Erakat to mean when she states “Palestine has the potential to set us free”.

Actualizing this though requires a transformation in our unions. Based on my experience at the University of Alberta, I’ll close with some reflections on what that transformation requires as well as the obstacles to this. 

Corey Snelgrove is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Alberta. He teaches and writes on questions of settler colonialism and decolonization in Canada. Read more

Lori Thorlakson

How are democracies today withstanding the threats against them? Is Canadian democracy vulnerable? This talk examines how terms such as ‘fascism’ and ‘authoritarianism’ are used—and sometimes abused—and how we can assess the state of our democratic health. What does creeping authoritarianism look like and how does it affect our democracies? Have we relegated fascism to history or are our democracies vulnerable to its resurgence?

Lori Thorlakson is a professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Alberta. She holds a PhD from the London School of Economics. Read more

Democracy Requires Democrats: Support for Democratic Values in Canada and Beyond

Dr. Feo Snagovsky

Democracy appears to be in retreat around the world. Scholars and civil society organizations have raised the alarm as political elites have eroded democratic institutions in countries like the United States, South Korea and India. Elites are not solely responsible for this problem, however: as the famous saying goes, “democracy requires democrats”. This presentation examines how people in Canada and other countries see democracy, as well as the evidence that support for democratic values has eroded around the world.

Dr. Feo Snagovsky is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Alberta. Read more

Workers, Unions and the Fight for Democracy: Why Workers Freedom of Association is Essential for Democracy

Charles Smith

Historians of democracy often point to the extension the franchise as a key moment when societies become “democratic.” And yet, even if the franchise is an essential barometer for the health of a democracy, such a narrow understanding tells us little about the health of a democracy in a capitalist economic system. When looking at authoritarian power in a capitalist workplace, our understanding of democracy has to include the freedom of workers to freely associate against employers unilateral authority to dictate the conditions of work.  In this sense, attacks on workers freedom of association to unionize, bargain, and strike—by governments and employers—need to be understood as more than simply addressing an economic emergency.  Rather these attacks need to be understood as attacks on democracy itself.   

Charles Smith (Ph.D York) is a Professor in the Department of Political Studies at St. Thomas More College, University of Saskatchewan.. Read More

The Relevance of Rights: Democracy in Neoliberal Times

Margot Young

Session details coming soon

Margot Young is Professor at the Allard Law School, University of British Columbia, where she is Director of the Social Justice Concentration. Read more

Sovereignty and Honour: Examining UNDRIP'S Role in Crown Accountability and Overlapping Sovereignties

Rebeca Macias Gimenez

The Haida Nation decision (2004) marked a significant step forward in clarifying the Crown’s responsibilities toward Indigenous peoples, particularly the duty to consult and accommodate when there is a risk of infringing Aboriginal rights or title. The Court refers to reconciliation as arising from “honourable dealings,” which in turn stems from the Crown’s assertion of sovereignty over Indigenous peoples. In Canadian law, Sovereignty and Honour are vested exclusively in the Crown, raising concerns about whether the settler government can objectively determine if its Honour has been met during each consultation and accommodation process. Haida exposed a lingering paradox: the Honour of the Crown originates in Crown Sovereignty, yet its aim is reconciliation. Legal scholars argue that this paradox results from a “thick” conception of sovereignty, which restricts overlap between Indigenous and Canadian state sovereignties. This presentation examines how courts are interpreting and applying the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and whether it may lead to stronger legal pluralism.

Rebeca is an Assistant Professor at the University of Alberta Faculty of Law, teaching and researching on the intersection between Indigenous legal orders and Canadian law, especially focusing on treaties and environmental decision-making. Read more

Jeanette Ageson

How Independent Publishers are Keeping Journalism Alive

What happens when a cornerstone of democracy loses its funding? This is the position that the Canadian journalism industry is in, at a time when the need for trustworthy, fact-based reporting is higher than ever. After decades of consolidation, tech platform disruption, and challenges adapting to the new digital landscape, many of Canada's largest news organizations are shadows of their former selves. But the digital disruption has also created opportunities for new entrants who are rewriting the way that journalism is delivered and paid for. In this session, Jeanette Ageson, publisher of The Tyee, will share the non-profit newsroom's lessons learned from 20+ years of growing a news organization in the digital age.

Jeanette Ageson is publisher of The Tyee, an independent daily news website based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Read more

Is mainstream media failing to protect us from the rise of autocracy?

Rachel Gilmore

They say that when the United States sneezes, Canada catches a cold. Well, the United States is coming down with a bad case of autocracy – so Canada’s immune system needs to be strong. The media is an integral part of that. Unfortunately, due to its focus on profits, its refusal to reject bad-faith backlash, and its addiction to both-sidesism, the media risks becoming a tool in our democratic decline. Fortunately, it’s not too late. Through rethinking the profit model, teaching newsroom leaders to recognize bad-faith outrage online, and rejecting both-sidesism in favour of transparency, we can avoid the mistakes our U.S. counterparts have made. Our democracy depends on it.

Rachel Gilmore is an award-winning journalist with extensive experience reporting on federal politics, human rights, disinformation, and extremism. Read more

Against Canadian Nationalism: Solidarities Against Border Imperialism and Racial Capitalism

Harsha Walia

In a time of tariffs and trade wars and Trump, Canada’s response has been doubling down resource extraction on Indigenous lands, anti-migrant racism, neoliberal austerity, and liberal nationalism. What kind of leftist progressive response is needed to counter both right-wing fascism and neoliberalism? This talk will situate the current moment within the global context of growing fascism and border imperialism, while emphasizing the urgent necessity of transnational solidarities.

Harsha Walia (she/her) is a Punjabi Sikh writer and organizer based in Vancouver, unceded Indigenous Coast Salish territories. Read more