Angela Girard's Priorities

• Work Government to government — the City sits on the traditional territories of the Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Work on shared priorities, from transportation to land use to emergency preparedness, through direct relationships between governments.
• Adopt the municipal Calls to Action — Calls 43, 47 and 57 speak to municipal governments: adopting UNDRIP as the framework for reconciliation, repudiating the Doctrine of Discovery, and ensuring City staff and Council understand the history and the law. British Columbia has legislated UNDRIP; the City should be able to show what implementing it looks like here.
• Help Indigenous residents in the City — roughly 1,650 Indigenous people live in the City, from many nations. City services should work for them, which means asking rather than assuming.

Why this matters to me and my community

Reconciliation is not a gesture a city makes. It’s a set of obligations, and municipalities have specific ones.

The most practical version of this is already visible in the work. North Shore Connects brings three municipalities and two First Nations governments to the same table on transportation because the problems don’t stop at any of our boundaries. That’s what a working relationship looks like — not a statement, but the two Nations at the table when the decisions get made.

One of my proudest moments on Council came in July 2023, when the City and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw signed the Wa Iyí̓m ta Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish Strong) Protocol Agreement at the Nation’s celebrations of the 100th anniversary of its amalgamation. The agreement reflects the principles, values and traditions of the Squamish People, and commits both governments to six Sḵwx̱wú7mesh principles to guide the work:

• tkwáya7n iy nexwnew̓ítm – Listen & Engage
• wa nexwniwnen chet ta nexwniw̓ tl’a Sḵwxw̱ú7mesh – Follow the Ways of the Squamish
• tex̱wlám̓ ns7eyx̱ – Genuinely Care
• chet wa telnexw tina tl’a snewiyelh tl’a Sḵwx̱wú7mesh – Learn the Advice of the Squamish
• na wa nelhnilhtway ta úxwumixw – The People Go Through It Together
• we7us chet ta Sḵwx̱wú7mesh siyá̓m̓in – Protect the Rights and Title of the Squamish

The protocol was always meant to be a beginning — it lays the groundwork for a Memorandum of Understanding the two governments would develop together. Finishing that work is part of what I’m asking to be re-elected for.

There’s more to do with both Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. The City doesn’t get to set the pace on its own. What Council can do is show up consistently, follow through on what it commits to, and make sure the relationship doesn’t depend on who happens to be sitting around the table. That’s the commitment I’ll keep.