2019/20: Climate Change and Human Rights with Sheila Watt-Cloutier

In Inuktitut, her maternal language, there is no pronunciation for the ’sh’ sound. Hence Siila’s name is pronounced See-la in her community although her baptism name is Sheila. Siila will be used throughout the Blaney communication and programming in keeping with how her own community calls her.

Siila Watt-Cloutier is a respected Inuit leader and one of the world’s most recognized environmental, climate change and human rights advocates. In 2007, Siila was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for her advocacy work in showing the impact global climate change has on human rights, especially in the Arctic, where it is felt more immediately and more dramatically than anywhere else in the world.

Siila previously held the role of Canadian President of the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC), later to become the International Chair, where she worked extensively to open space for dialogue that welcomes and invites the voices of Indigenous peoples. Siila’s dialogue approach embraces Indigenous storytelling as an empathy-driven connector between the minds and hearts of those with whom she works

Siila is author of the memoir, The Right to Be Cold, which was nominated for the 2016 BC National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction. The Right to Be Cold is a chronicle of Canada's north, detailing the devastating impact of climate change on Inuit communities.

February 18, 2020
Award ceremony (SFU Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue)
The biennial Jack P. Blaney Award for Dialogue ceremony took place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on February 18, 2020, to recognize the accomplishments of Siila Watt-Cloutier in using dialogue to address environmental and human rights issues. The event was celebrated with Indigenous and non-Indigenous leaders in climate action and friends of Simon Fraser University and SFU's Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue. 

February 19-20, 2020
Women’s Retreat (Squamish Eagle Valley Retreat)
This two-day retreat invited Indigenous women and allies in a curated space to connect and rejuvenate at the Squamish Valley Eagle Retreat. The crucial work that these women do can be deeply, emotionally and personally demanding. As such, our goal with this retreat was to honour their deep work in climate action and social justice in your communities, by providing a space to rest and connect with each other.

February 24, 2020
Youth Day (SFU Morris J. Wosk Centre for the Dialogue, Concourse)
This youth conference aimed to break down silos in climate action and convened 30- 40 Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth leaders working toward climate and social justice. The goal of the event was to build a safe space for dialogue and interactive activities that centre climate action as a holistic and justice issue—and learn from each other’s wisdom and experiences. Download event summary.

February 25, 2020
Campus Day: Campus Indigenous Faculty Dialogue (Diamond Alumni Centre)
This dialogue with Indigenous scholars in the SFU community was co-hosted by SFU's Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) with the intention to explore the current status of reconciliation and decolonization, collectively reflect on our position to intervene, and engage in dialogue with Siila and FASS colleagues. Download event summary.

Campus Day: Class Visit (SFU Burnaby)
As part of the 2020 progamming, Silla conducted a class visit with third and fourth-year undergraduate students in Indigenous Studies (formerly First Nations Studies) and 20 first-year students in the Indigenous Bridging Program.

Graduate Research for Social Justice: A Dialogue with Siila Watt-Cloutier (SFU Burnaby)
In under three minutes, graduate students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences presented to Siila their community-engaged participatory research, which was centered around activist and advocacy goals. Students had the opportunity to ask Siila questions about their research, and Siila was provided an opportunity to comment. This public event provided a reflective space for dialogue on community-based research and upheld the wisdom of an Indigenous elder.

February 26, 2020
Semester in Dialogue Class Visit (SFU Vancouver)
This class visit was aimed to create a reflective space for Semester in Dialogue students and Siila to engage in dialogue on Siila’s work and the students’ questions/projects.