Whose Nation? Navigating a New Era in Crown‑Indigenous Relations

Mr. Paul is the Executive Director of the Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nations Chiefs Secretariat in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.  Taking direction from the Atlantic Chiefs through frequent All Chiefs Forums and Executive Chiefs Meetings, Mr. Paul provides policy analysis and strategic advice on a wide range of policy issues facing First Nations in Atlantic Canada and Eastern Quebec. The APC Secretariat’s mandate is to research, analyze and develop alternatives to federal policies affecting its member First Nation communities.

Mr. Paul has a Bachelor of Arts in Community Studies from Cape Breton University in 1980 and received his Master of Public Administration in Financial Management from Halifax’s Dalhousie University in 1982. A strong and dedicated advocate for First Nations, Mr. Paul has worked toward positive change for First Nations communities in diverse policy areas for more than 30 years.

Mr. Paul plays a strategic role in his efforts to liaise between government and First Nations communities.  He provides ongoing policy support and advice on First Nations issues in the areas of social wellbeing, health, housing and infrastructure, education, and economic development.  His work includes negotiation and advocacy on key priority measures related to the DFO (Department of Fisheries and Oceans), INAC (Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada), Health Canada, and other federal agencies.

Dr. Ingrid Waldron is an Associate Professor in the School of Nursing at Dalhousie University. Her research has focused on the impacts of discrimination on health in Black, Indigenous, and immigrant communities; the impacts of gentrification and other determinants of health in the Black community in the North End of Halifax; intimate partner violence experienced by culturally diverse women; and protective factors preventing the entry of Black, Indigenous, and immigrant children into state care. Dr. Waldron’s ENRICH Project is investigating the social, economic, political and health effects of environmental racism in African Nova Scotian and Mi’kmaw communities. Her first book There’s Something in the Water: Environmental Racism in Indigenous and Black Communities was recently released.

Ingrid Waldron Thinks Policy Matters
"With respect to environmental injustices in Mi’kmaw and African Nova Scotian communities, environmental policy is important for addressing procedural and distributive injustices related to decision-making and consultation processes and the spatial patterning of industry in these communities, respectively."