Jody Wilson-Raybould in conversation with Campbell Clark

As an Indigenous leader and one of Canada’s most prominent politicians, Jody Wilson-Raybould has been at the forefront of Canada’s cultural and political conversations.  From a provincial crown prosecutor in British Columbia to her time as Canada’s Attorney General, she has been an advocate for racial equality, climate change action and strengthening civic discourse.  How can the business community help advance these important priorities? And, what lessons are there from her time in Cabinet to her decision to move forward from politics? Join a timely conversation on critical national questions, as Wilson-Raybould discusses her recently released book, Indian in the Cabinet: Speaking Truth to Power, and is joined by the Globe & Mail’s Chief Political Writer Campbell Clark.

Book: “Indian” In The Cabinet: Speaking Truth To Power (HarperCollins, September 14, 2021)

Speaker: The Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, P.C., Q.C., M.P., Independent Member of Parliament, Vancouver Granville

In Conversation With: Campbell Clark, Chief Political Writer, The Globe and Mail

Ticket & Book: When you pay to attend, your registration fee includes access to the livestream, a hardcopy copy of “”Indian” In The Cabinet” and shipping fees. The book will be shipped to registrants after the event.

Please note: The stated registration fee for this event only applies to customers residing in Canada and the U.S.A. If you are registering for this livestream from outside of these countries, please contact events@rotman.utoronto.ca regarding your registration as shipping fees vary depending on your location.

Livestream Details: On October 12, Rotman Events will email registrants the link to the page where you can watch the livestream.

Book Synopsis: A compelling political memoir of leadership and speaking truth to power by one of the most inspiring women of her generation

Jody Wilson-Raybould was raised to be a leader. Inspired by the example of her grandmother, who persevered throughout her life to keep alive the governing traditions of her people, and raised as the daughter of a hereditary chief and Indigenous leader, Wilson-Raybould always knew she would take on leadership roles and responsibilities. She never anticipated, however, that those roles would lead to a journey from her home community of We Wai Kai in British Columbia to Ottawa as Canada’s first Indigenous Minister of Justice and Attorney General in the Cabinet of then newly elected prime minister, Justin Trudeau.

Wilson-Raybould’s experience in Trudeau’s Cabinet reveals important lessons about how we must continue to strengthen our political institutions and culture, and the changes we must make to meet challenges such as racial justice and climate change. As her initial optimism about the possibilities of enacting change while in Cabinet shifted to struggles over inclusivity, deficiencies of political will, and concerns about adherence to core principles of our democracy, Wilson-Raybould stood on principle and, ultimately, resigned. In standing her personal and professional ground and telling the truth in front of the nation, Wilson-Raybould demonstrated the need for greater independence and less partisanship in how we govern.

“Indian” in the Cabinet: Speaking Truth to Power is the story of why Wilson-Raybould got into federal politics, her experience as an Indigenous leader sitting around the Cabinet table, her proudest achievements, the very public SNC-Lavalin affair, and how she got out and moved forward. Now sitting as an Independent Member in Parliament, Wilson-Raybould believes there is a better way to govern and a better way for politics—one that will make a better country for all.

About Our Speakers:

The Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, P.C., Q.C., M.P., is the Independent Member of Parliament for Vancouver Granville. She served as the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, the Minister of Veterans Affairs and the Associate Minister of National Defence until her resignation in 2019 following the SNC-Lavalin affair. Wilson-Raybould is a lawyer, an advocate and a leader in British Columbia’s First Nations. She has been a provincial crown prosecutor, a councillor for the We Wai Kai Nation, a chair of the First Nations Finance Authority and has served as regional chief of the BC Assembly of First Nations.

Jody Wilson-Raybould is a descendant of the Musgamagw Tsawataineuk and Laich-Kwil-Tach peoples, which are part of the Kwakwaka’wakw and also known as the Kwak’wala-speaking peoples. She is a member of the We Wai Kai Nation. Her traditional name, Puglaas, means “woman born to noble people.”

Campbell Clark has been a political writer in The Globe and Mail’s Ottawa bureau since 2000. Before that he worked for The Montreal Gazette and the National Post. He writes about Canadian politics and foreign policy.