Simcoe North MPP Jill Dunlop is no longer co-chair of the province’s new Indigenous Women’s Advisory Council.
The decision was made after news of her appointment drew criticism about a non-Indigenous person having that role.
“We heard from our partners and they made it clear that both chairs (should be) Indigenous,” said Dunlop, associate minister of children and women’s issues. “The whole point of the council was to have their voices heard.”
Filling the co-chair seat vacated by Dunlop will be Cora-lee McGuire-Cyrette, executive director of the Ontario Native Women's Association. The second co-chair will be selected in July.
“Who better to co-chair? She already represents Indigenous women,” Dunlop said of McGuire-Cyrette. “She brings a lot of value to this group and will be a wonderful co-chair.”
Dunlop, who will now sit as an ex-officio member of the council, said the decision to make way for two Indigenous co-chairs “is showing flexibility in government.”
“The government is listening,” she said.
Vicki Monague hopes so.
“It was a good move for (Dunlop) to step back,” said Monague, a member of Beausoleil First Nation who lives in Penetanguishene.
The importance of having two Indigenous co-chairs should have been obvious from the start, she said, adding the situation “reinforces the paternalism that First Nations face when dealing with government.”
She said an Indigenous Women’s Advisory Council is needed, but it’s up to the province to act on any recommendations that might come out of it.
The Progressive Conservatives have “a legacy of damaging policies” toward Indigenous people, Monague said, noting, for example, the order to clear protesters from Ipperwash Provincial Park in 1995 came during former premier Mike Harris’s tenure. During that crisis, Dudley George, an Indigenous protester, was shot dead by police.
Monague also takes issue with some of the moves made by the current regime under Premier Doug Ford, including cutting the Indigenous Culture Fund.
“If they want to commit to reconciliation, they have to reverse (those policies),” she said.
Dunlop’s role on the council will include taking feedback to the government, which could lead to new policies.
Monague hopes Dunlop both learns from her experience with the council and uses that knowledge to advocate for change — and that includes change in Simcoe North.
”Being a constituent, I’m hoping that her role … will help her decolonize her own mindset,” she said. “If Jill Dunlop wants to move forward on Indigenous issues, she should meet with Indigenous women in the riding.”
