AGM delegates were pleased to welcome two of Turtle Island’s leading Indigenous and LGBTQ2s+ advocates, Dr. James Makokis & Anthony Johnson, to learn about active allyship.
In their presentation to the delegation, Dr. James Makokis & Anthony Johnson spoke about Indigenous History, their families’ history, the Treaty, and how we’re supposed to be living in the Great Turtle Island.
When speaking to the role of the public service, Dr. Makokis challenged members to look at the realities and the statistics that government policies have done to Indigenous Peoples and other groups, and look into ways to reverse wrongdoings.
“To have growth, you need to go through growing pains. Therefore, to make progress, we have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.”
Dr. Makokis asked members to unpack the departments that they work in and think of the common principles of the Treaty and how their work violates them.
As government employees, the work of PIPSC members can be triggering Indigenous Peoples because of generations of harm caused by democratic parliaments. So, it is important to understand and to work from a trauma-informed perspective with Indigenous Peoples and recognize the cause of some stress responses from the community.
Anthony Johnson expanded on the concept of allyship and solidarity. He equipped the delegates with tools to make them ready to engage with their diverse communities. And encouraged them to reflect on these 3 questions while operating in their work: What is the historical context that I’m operating in? What is the action that I want to see? What impact will that create?
Dr. James Makokis & Anthony Johnson are the first Two-Spirit couple to have made it on Canadian television, getting national recognition for their participation in The Amazing Race Canada. They used their appearance on the show to raise awareness for Two Spirit and gender inclusion. They also took the opportunity to dedicate their participation in the show to advocating for the rights and social movements to create new outcomes for Indigenous peoples.