ANISHINABEK NATION—At 12 years old, Autumn Peltier rose to international distinction after chastising Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the Assembly of First Nations winter gathering in 2016. The Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory youth had been a water advocate since she was eight years old, following in the footsteps of her role model and aunt, the late Josephine Mandamin, known for her work as the first water walker. Ms. Peltier was asked to present the PM with a water bundle. At the last minute, she decided to go off script, telling the leader that she was “very unhappy with his choices and the broken promises.” She cried on stage about the federal government’s decision to invest in the Kinder-Morgan trans-mountain oil pipeline expansion.
From that pivotal moment, Ms. Peltier soared into the global spotlight as an Indigenous advocate for water conservation. She addressed the United Nations and engaged with global leaders to champion the rights of Indigenous communities to access clean water.
By the age of 14, Ms. Peltier assumed the role of Chief Water Commissioner for the Anishinabek Nation. Her contributions earned her the prestigious Gov. General’s Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers, and she received four nominations for the International Children’s Peace Prize, securing the runner-up position in 2022. Most recently, she was honoured as Canada’s Walk of Fame Community Hero for the current year.
However, beyond the accolades, the 19-year-old ambassador remains dedicated to shaping a brighter future for Indigenous peoples. She passionately advocates for younger generations to speak out about their beliefs, urging world leaders to heed their voices.
As a teenager, Ms. Peltier began to learn more about the Indian Residential Schools legacy and its far-reaching impacts on her people, including Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit People (MMIWG2S+). Peltier experienced firsthand the intersections of racism and sexism in her work, not only from her contemporaries but from adults.
While she is best known for her work around water protection, her new focus is on missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and gender-diverse people. This new message is a point of convergence with her former work.
The Expositor spoke with Rachel Arsenault, a band member of Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory, who works for the Canadian Environmental Law Association’s Healthy Great Lakes Program as an Indigenous Engagement Advisor and is currently a Ph.D. student at York University, who is completing her dissertation this year.
“In 2016, the National Inquiry into MMIWG2S+ found linkages between water insecurity and enhanced vulnerabilities for Indigenous women residing within these types of communities,” Ms. Arsenault said. “That same year, the Verdict of the Coroner’s Jury determined the same findings when an inquest was held for the mysterious deaths of seven First Nations youth in Northern Ontario. Both the National Inquiry into MMIWG2S+ and the Inquest found that individuals belonging to water-insecure communities are more vulnerable than everyone else with access to clean and potable drinking water, increasing their likelihood of encountering precarious situations. Ultimately, the National Inquiry into MMIWG2S+ and the inquest into the deaths of the seven First Nation youth called for adequate funding and resources to address the water insecurity challenges in First Nation communities. These two government documents recognized the critical need for the social determinants of health to be met for First Nations in order to build stronger and more resilient communities.”
Ms. Peltier’s trajectory centers on dismantling colonial systems that oppress Indigenous communities in Canada, shaping her aspirations to pursue a career in law, specializing in criminal or human rights law. Driven by her fervent advocacy for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, a crisis that has personally affected her family, Ms. Peltier delves into the study of criminology. This pursuit is fueled by her awareness of the disproportionately high incarceration rates among Indigenous populations.
