Bio:
Teresa Edwards is a Mi’kmaq woman, a member of the Listuguj First Nation, and the mother of three wonderful children. Her traditional name is Young Fire Woman. She has worked for more than 20 years to advance the needs and rights of Aboriginal Peoples, with a particular focus on addressing Aboriginal women’s human rights. Teresa is a Barrister-at-Law in Ontario and has worked in the areas of strategic planning and policy development, mediation and negotiations, legal analysis, and research to address a wide breadth of issues impacting on Aboriginal women. From within her roles within Government, and in the private sector, she has worked to identify solutions leading to economic security and prosperity for Aboriginal women, while promoting their safety and well-being and to increase their participation in leadership, governance and decision-making roles. In 2004, from within Status of Women Canada (SWC), as one of her files, she worked with the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) to secure funding for the Sisters In Spirit initiative, which was a research, education and policy initiative aimed at raising public awareness about the growing number of missing and murdered Aboriginal women in Canada. While in her role within SWC, and as a Consultant and Legal Counsel representing Aboriginal organizations and governments, she has travelled to more than 100 First Nations’ communities within Canada and to international fora to engage people to identify ways to address all forms of violence, including trafficking in humans, Nation-building and re-building, human rights awareness and implementation, education and economic development and many other socio-economic issues. Teresa organized the FPT Policy Forum on Aboriginal Women and Violence: Building Safe and Healthy Families and Communities, and was part of the Planning Committee for the two National Aboriginal Women’s Summits held in Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Northwest Territories. Teresa promotes holistic alternatives, and takes into account the needs of Aboriginal communities, their histories, protocols, traditions and practices, treaties and customary laws, when approaching policies, programs and legislation impacting on Indigenous Peoples.
In her current role as the Director of International Affairs and Human Rights, and internal Legal Counsel for the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC), Teresa is dedicated to promoting gender equality in such forums as the United Nations (UN) and regional organizations such as the Organization of American States (OAS), where Indigenous issues are advocated for collectively with other Indigenous Peoples. Teresa has partnered with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Museum of Civilization to host a Symposium on Aboriginal Human Rights on International Human Rights Day, and co-hosted with the Assembly of First Nations the Sub-Regional Meeting of Indigenous Peoples from North America. She continues to advocate for the rights of Indigenous women at the United Nations (UN) Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, and the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and works with UN Special Rapporteurs to advance Indigenous human rights generally, and to advance Aboriginal women’s rights.
Title of paper:
'Aboriginal Women in Business: Forging Ahead'
Abstract:
This paper outlines the historical realities of Aboriginal women as members of Indigenous societies and as constitutionally-recognized groups whose members are faced with significant barriers to participation in commercial and economic relations, and identifies areas of development need, rapid change, and continuing challenge. Using specific case studies to illustrate how Aboriginal women are pursuing business ventures, gender-based differentials in accessing government and other forms of support, and emerging opportunities, this paper invites engagement with the complex regulatory, legal, and constitutional frameworks within which Aboriginal women operate and consideration of the role of law in opening these doors as fully as possible.