It is a different time. Let’s Listen, Learn and Act Differently to Better our Democracy

May 7, 2025

May 07, 2025

Image Source: https://grandmothersvoice.com/seven-generations-nurturing-a-sustainable-future/

In our last Substack Article, we reviewed the benefits of learning principles of democracy from indigenous culture that could well help create a better framework for governance in Canada. Specifically, decision-making based on a consensus model establishes a forum for the sharing of ideas and the development of solutions that all people can buy into. With the recent results of the Canadian federal election, we are once again faced with a minority government. This could be seen though either optimistic or pessimistic eyes, possibly depending on your political ideology.

In Alberta, the Premier sees the formation of another federal liberal government as a threat, and she has reacted in a fairly extreme fashion. Unfortunately, she seems to be hung up on certain perceptions regarding the effect of federal policies on Alberta’s economy and is unable to see the world of possibilities. Every Canadian, every province and every territory must acknowledge the fact that we face an existential crisis. It is not one that was made by the current U.S. administration and their rudderless Leader but rather is the result of too many years of failing to work together as a nation made up of ten provinces, three territories and countless sovereign indigenous nations.

We will only move forward successfully if we can figure out ways to collaborate and bring everyone’s interests in line with each other. We do not need either a liberal or a conservative government in Ottawa. We need a government open to the thoughts and debates that are the hallmark of a healthy democracy. We need Danielle Smith to stop talking about separation but to continue to push the Alberta agenda. Ultimately, we need to find the many points of connection that will bring us all together. We believe, for example, a nation building project like a northern power corridor that helps transport oil, gas, power, and telecommunications across the northern part of Canada has significant possibilities to bring multiple interests together into a coherent set of projects and a create a group that is able to work towards a common cause.

Such a project could generate significant shared value. Oil for export could be transported to the Port of Churchill for offshore delivery to European and Asian markets. Equally we could consider the viability of shipping LNG and/or other products (e.g. Hydrogen) through the same network. The corridor can be constructed also to connect power generating capacity through a national grid across Canada. The power might be generated through solar farms, wind generation or nuclear generating stations (and traditional fossil fuels as necessary). All this is potentially in keeping with moving Canada into an energy independent nation while also providing for the short-term exploitation of fossil fuels.

Accomplishing such a lofty goal will requires unity of purpose and strong collective thinking. Finding the path forward will clearly differentiate Canada from the dictatorial, decidedly undemocratic approach being adopted in the U.S.A. However, it is a tall order that will require maturity and leadership. We need the members of Parliament and in fact all politicians, in the provinces and territories as well, to adopt approaches that are more collaborative and less confrontational. We need buy-in across the full political spectrum, from industry and NGOs, from all Canadians and from the indigenous people we share this land to strike our path forward.

The discussions that need to take place have to be guided by a set of inviolable principles that ensure outcomes that can be accepted by the multiple stakeholders through a form of consensus building. A central or foundational principle that should be adhered to is reflected in the Haudensaunee Great Law of Peace. Law 28 of Great Law provides direction to Chiefs sitting on the Great Council:

“We now do crown you with the sacred emblem of the deer's antlers, the emblem of your Lordship. You shall now become a mentor of the people of the Five Nations. The thickness of your skin shall be seven spans — which is to say that you shall be proof against anger, offensive actions, and criticism. [...] Look and listen for the welfare of the whole people and have always in view not only the present but also the coming generations, even those whose faces are yet beneath the surface of the ground -- the unborn of the future Nation.”

This is the essence of the Seventh Generation Principle. The decisions we make today should result in a sustainable world seven generations into the future. This not only refers to ensuring decisions being made about the environment (energy, water, and natural resources) are sustainable but must also be applied to relationships. Every decision should result in sustainable relationships seven generations in the future. In their decision-making, Chiefs must consider how present-day decisions will impact their descendants and respect the world in which they live as they are borrowing it from future generations.

The value of Seventh Generation Principle is especially important in terms of culture. Keeping cultural practices, languages, and ceremonies alive is essential for those to come. Talk of separation such as we are currently hearing from the West, because of a near-term electoral outcome, demonstrates not only an inherent immaturity but a lack of respect for the history of Canada, our collective experiences and the future of many generations who count on us to create and maintain a strong and healthy nation. Giving up and leaving the confederation because we did not get our way is not a core value we want to perpetuate.

The concept of Seventh Generation Principle is an expression of what can be referred to as intergenerational equity. It has gained attention in international law as foundational to the right to a livable environment and is a core part of a social welfare state. It is a concept that different Indigenous cultures and Peoples have long valued and implemented, and in a very holistic and foundational way. Arguably, it is one of the underlying concepts that helped Norway develop a sustainable approach to the development of the North Sea Oil reserves which has been enormously successful economically and socially and still eludes Alberta (and therefore Canada). Qatar also established a very long-term view of the development of its gas resources that equally escaped the attention of policy makers in Canada (including political thinkers in both B.C. and Alberta).

The Seven Generations Principle cannot be separated from correlating values. These values may include stand-alone values such as matrilineal family structures, respect for elders, relationships with ancestors, protection of the environment and preservation of culture. In Canada’s political structures the metapolitical nature of party platforms leads to promises made to attract votes rather than a true notion of being motivated by a vision of how Canada will develop over the next 150 years (which is the approximate span of seven generations). Hence, it is difficult to see political parties as being able to offer a coherent view of how to balance the variety of interests represented by the many important stakeholders who ought to have a say in the outcomes. However, they can be leaders, act in non-partisan ways as much as possible and require processes of decision making that require collaboration and consensus building.

The inability to recognize the history over the past 150 years and to see outcomes 150 years into the future is an impairment that has crippled Canada’s development as a sovereign and mature democracy. To avoid further impairment, it would be helpful to contemplate questions borrowed from the Seven Generations Principle such as:

If Elders from 150 years ago could share their knowledge today, what comments would they make on the current situation?
What were the values and pressing issues experienced by Elders Seven Generations ago, that would have influenced their guidance for decision making?
If youth 150 years in the future could identify their priorities, what would they share?
Would our past colonizer decisions have looked different if we understood the impacts of these choices today?
- If so, how would these decisions have changed our country today if made seven generations ago using Seven Generations Principles?
When making a decsion, ask..How will this/these decisions impact unborn generations?
Etc.

The following quote from Thinking differently: Using the Seven Generations Principle by Jayla Rousseau-Thomas makes the point succinctly:

“Adopting and institutionalising the Seven Generations Principles in public decision-making and accountability is an important part of Reconciliation. It could place a key principle of Indigenous governance and culture at the centre of settler governance structures in an effort to decolonise them. It requires decision makers to think beyond their current frame, and metaphorically, invites both the ancestors of the past and children of the future into decision making processes”.1

Now is the time for Canadians to come together and learn from one another. Now is the time for unity of purpose and collaboration. Now is the time to see the potential of the future and the acknowledging and as necessary fixing of the past. We should talk about getting together and embracing our differences and not talk about taking our ball home because we didn’t get our way. The Indigenous people we share this land with have been here from time immemorial and have withstood very difficult challenges. It is a different time. Let’s listen, learn and act differently.

Canadian Indigenous Facts, Stories and Learnings

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