The road to reconciliation has been long and arduous, and the journey is far from complete. Over the decades, there have been many who worked to clear the path—champions who have broken ground so those following in their stead might find the next stage of their travels, if not easy, perhaps a bit smoother. As a forum for celebrating those who have taken on these difficult tasks, IPSS enables these champions to share their success stories along with the challenges they encountered along the way.

One of the critical areas of reconciliation, and one most often fraught with difficulties, is Crown-Indigenous relations.

“One thing that we constantly come back to is how politics fits into the issues,” says IPSS Event Lead Margareta Dovgal. “Sometimes politicians respond, sometimes they lead, sometimes they're the fringes of social movements and they find themselves needing to rapidly catch up and be a part of the change that's taking place.”

During IPSS 2023, three individuals took the stage to discuss the important work they have done in this realm over the years: Tom Siddon, former Federal Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development; Ellis Ross, current BC MLA, Skeena; and Kimberly Murray, Independent Special Interlocutor for Missing Children and Unmarked Graves and Burial Sites associated with Indian Residential Schools.