(Donna) Lynn Geary
Victoria, BC
UBC Sauder School of Business
Songhees FN MHP
Ojibwe Métis, Métis Nation of Ontario [MNO], Indigenous
‘Feminazi’ activist most of adult life, avid outdoor enthusiast, fishing,
hunting, flying, cooking, canning, preserving, teaching, canoeing, boating,
sailing, target shooting; very familiar with lakes and waters of N.W. Ontario
and Manitoba, all traditional lands which generations of my family have hunted
and harvested for hundreds of years.
Determined
to serve Indigenous women and families in Canada and across Turtle Island and
restore our traditional Matriarchal system.
Born and raised: Red Lake, Ontario [Treaty #3],
Ontario/Manitoba border area. Many
family and businesses throughout Manitoba, Northwestern Ontario, Rat
Portage/Kenora, Lake of the Woods area, Great Lakes area, Northern U.S.
Raised on the land at Little Vermilion Lake, a fly in lake
north of Red Lake, ON, to an Irish father, Allen Geary and Métis mother,
Francine descended from Ojibwe/Saulteaux, Scots and French. Métis Family names Mathieson, Godin,
Morrisseau. Landmarks named throughout
Treaty #3 country.
Owner/Operator/Operations Manager/Dispatcher – Red Lake
Airways [1987] Ltd, Red Lake,ON, worked closely with FN north of Red Lake e.g.
Sandy Lake, Deer Lake, Cat Lake, Poplar Hill, North Spirit, Pikangikum, Trout
Lake, all levels of Government [FN,
City, Provincial and Federal ].
Owner/Operator Dogskin Lake Lodge & Outposts, Fly in
fishing and hunting lodges in the Atikaki Wilderness Park, MB, working closely
with Paungassi and Little Grand FN, all levels of Government.
"Relocated to Vancouver Island [Campbell River and
Victoria], BC"
Executive Director to the Métis Commission for Children and
Families of BC [MCCFBC] [Ministry of Children and Family Development - BC].
This experience with Indigenous parents and children clearly
showed how badly broken Children and Families is and the inherent
discrimination against Indigenous people in the system.
Payment Service Officer to Service Canada, Common Experience
Payment for Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement [IRSSA]. 2007
The racism I saw, and personally experienced, at the Federal
Government level was a huge eye opener to me.
Hearing from applicants firsthand the horror of their Residential School
experiences was also a huge eye opener.
Although I had lived with the reality of the Rez kids being sent to
these schools, I had no idea the tragedy that was their reality until hearing
their stories. Trying to get
applications finalized and ‘into pay’, I clearly saw how the system was
inherently discriminatory to Indigenous peoples, especially Indigenous women.
Ø Personal,
discriminatory experiences at both levels of government, and my overall
continued life experiences, affected me in a very fundamental way, and
solidified my determination to serve Indigenous women and families in Canada
and across Turtle Island. I vowed to
work from inside the system to change how Indigenous women are viewed, treated
and discriminated against in this country.
And hence, I increased my involvement in The Liberal Party of Canada
[LPC] and the Aboriginal People’s Commission
Ø Board
member, Kelly Lake Métis Settlement Society, Board member, Vancouver Métis
Citizens Society. Past volunteer
experience: Métis Nation BC [MNBC] Métis Women’s Secretariat [MWS-BC] Women’s
Rep, North Island Métis Association [NIMA] Women’s Rep, NIMA Regional
Employment and Training Committee [AHRDA] board member and Chair
Ø Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke
[ESS] current, Member, director and Aboriginal Rep. first served as ESS
Aboriginal delegate in 2006
Ø BC-Women’s
Liberal Commission [BCWLC] current, Aboriginal Rep – The Power of Your Voice,
Métis Rendezvous Feb 21, 2015, The PoYV, Colwood, BC June 2015, Jody
Wilson-Raybould fundraising tour to assist mid and south Island candidates,
David Merner Celebration on the Songhees.
Ø Aboriginal
People’s Commission BC [APC-BC], current, Vancouver Island Rep
Ø Dedicated
Liberal, worked hard on several campaigns to help get the LPC elected in 2015
Ø Determined
to work within the parameters of the APC to bring change for Indigenous Women,
children and families. Very supportive of the work of the LPC and willing to
put the effort into educating the Party, and the Public, on Indigenous Issues
and help make the APC a continued vital part of the Liberal Party of Canada.
Platform and Commitments
Platform and Commitments
Working as the APC-BC [Sheryl Fisher, Pres] Vancouver Island
Rep for a couple years now, doing outreach with Indigenous citizens, and also
working as Indigenous women’s rep to the BC-WLC , and working closely with the
Young Liberals showed me how instrumental the Commissions can be in engaging
voters. I fundamentally believe the LPC Commissions offer an exciting
opportunity for new/existing members to
gain wonderful volunteer experiences and engagement within the party.
Therefore, I bring experience with the LPC Commissions to
the table. My network extends across
Canada and I offer an unswerving determination to continue serving Indigenous
women, children and families across Canada and Turtle Island. My focus will
continue to be Indigenous Outreach, particularly with women, if I’m blessed to
serve the position of VP Women’s with the National APC.
I will unflinchingly dedicate the time to the position and adhere
to LPC Policy, while carrying out the duties of VP Women as outlined in the
Constitution, with my attention particularly focused on:
1] Indigenous women’s issues
* keep myself and the APC up to date on current issues such
as the MMIW inquiry progress and outcomes, outstanding Residential School
[IRSSA] matters, Reconciliation and Nation to Nation talks
* support the development of more community initiatives such
as the IKWE safe drivers for women program in Winnipeg, MB, the Bear Clan
street patrol and search team, fresh food markets for Indigenous, Northern food
share drives
* support the development of community free access programs
for women and children’s self-defense classes, child care strategies,
improvements to Child & Family Services, community action groups
* support women’s initiatives that improve and make women’s
lives and families safer and healthier, helping women to step forward and
reclaim their rightful place as community leaders in the traditional
Matriarchal system
* work with the appropriate Ministers where appropriate and
solicited to effect change for Indigenous women and families
* continue outreach to engage Indigenous women in working
inside the LPC to bring
2] Organization and logistics of the APC
* continue to work to bring provincial and local APC members
more structural development to engage more Indigenous, and the Riding
Associations, with increased flow of information, regular meetings, defined
goals
* Lobby for funds to increase the ability of the National
and Provincial APC organizations to host and attend important community events
* Increase the visibility of the APC within the LPC and the
broader community in general by attending important events such as National
conferences and important Annual general meetings, where invited
3] Education of LPC members, national, provincial and riding
associations and interested Indigenous communities
* promote further understanding of Indigenous history,
traditional and current, and spiritual beliefs/teachings by working on simple
teaching aids for LPC structure and public speaking wherever invited
* attend events and promote the LPC Aboriginal People’s
Commission opportunities for involvement
* promote joint efforts with Indigenous organizations to
assist with Reconciliation and Nation to Nation talks and assist any Ministers
of the LPC in any way appropriate or desired
* work with Schools and learning institutions to ensure
curriculum Indigenous appropriate, and all Indigenous People’s are included as
per Section 35 of the Canadian Constitution. Aboriginal = Indian, Inuit and
Métis. As a Métis woman, this is vital
to me
* work with Children and Families to ensure Indigenous culture
and teachings entrenched in system, less Indigenous representation in children
in care, Indigenous birthing centers and child care centers
4] Election 2019
* continue Outreach work to communities in conjunction with
the Women’s Commissions, the Young Liberals and the Elder Commission, to engage more Indigenous women voters and
potential candidates, to ensure citizens understand the power of their vote
and/or involvement
* assist LPC ridings [EDA’s] to build relationships with the
Indigenous community to increase participation in voting and campaigns
* assist all current Indigenous MP’s while in office
currently and leading up to the campaign
* support and assist all Indigenous women choosing to run in
2019
* scrutinize LPC Policy and wording on Indigenous issues for
increased good relations, to ensure inclusivity of ALL Indigenous Peoples of
Canada; Indian [First Nations], Métis [Halfbreeds] and Inuit [Eskimo].
