Indigenous Rights
The West Direction — bear teachings, reflection and the sacredness of sage
June 22, 2026
As we continue around the Medicine Wheel, we now move into the West Direction, a place of introspection, healing, endings, transformation and the deep inward journey. The West is connected to adulthood, autumn and the emotional and physical challenges that…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, Uncategorized
Listening to the Waters: Reflections on Indigenous Peoples Day
June 21, 2026
As Indigenous Peoples Day approaches, I find myself thinking about water. Not just the water that flows through our rivers, lakes and streams, but the water that lives within us. The water that carried each of us into this world….
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
The South Direction — buffalo teachings, growth and the sacredness of sweetgrass
June 15, 2026
This week, we continue our journey around the Medicine Wheel by moving into the South Direction, a place connected to growth, relationships, emotion, trust and the energy of youth. The South represents summertime, abundance, warmth and the emotional self. It…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
The East Direction eagle teachings, new beginnings and the sacredness of tobacco
June 8, 2026
As we continue our Indigenous History Month journey, we begin in the East direction of the Medicine Wheel, the place of new beginnings, illumination, vision and Spirit. The East is where the sun rises each morning, bringing light into darkness and reminding us…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
Walking the circle together: The Medicine Wheel, Indigenous wisdom and our shared responsibility
June 1, 2026
June is Indigenous History Month, a time to honour the histories, cultures, teachings, resilience and ongoing contributions of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples across Turtle Island. It is also a time for reflection. Reflection on truth, relationship, responsibility and…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, Uncategorized
KAIROS calls for root-cause solutions to global and domestic crises in pre-budget submission
May 28, 2026
KAIROS urges Canada to embrace a broader, people-centred vision of security in Budget 2026. In its pre-budget submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance, KAIROS argues that climate disruption, armed conflict, unjust sovereign debt, displacement, threats to Indigenous rights, rising inequality and…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice, Gender Justice, Indigenous Rights, Migrant Justice
Matching funds – Help build what comes next
May 25, 2026
For 25 years, Kairos has worked alongside communities, building justice for people and planet. Today, as inequality deepens, Indigenous rights are threatened and climate crises grow, we know these challenges are connected. And our response must be too. Indigenous sovereignty…
Post filed in: Calls To Action, Ecological Justice, Gender Justice, Indigenous Rights, Migrant Justice
Red Dress Day: honouring Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people
May 5, 2026
Every year on May 5, red dresses hang in trees, from windows, along fences and across public spaces. They move gently in the wind, empty yet deeply present. These dresses are not just symbols. They are reminders. They are calls…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
Plus de 72 500 Canadiennes et Canadiens ont signé pour réclamer la justice en matière de dette; ces signatures seront remises aux député·e·s.
April 28, 2026
Le Jubilé : Transformer la dette en espoir culmine avec un rassemblement le 28 avril sur la Colline du Parlement Ottawa, Ontario (territorio tradicional, no cedido ni entregado de la nación anishinàbe algonquina) — Aujourd’hui, plus de 72 514 Canadiennes…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice, Gender Justice, Global South, Human Rights, Indigenous Rights, Turn Debt Into Hope
Over 72,500 Canadians’ signatures calling for global debt justice to be delivered to Parliamentarians
April 28, 2026
Jubilee: Turn Debt into Hope culminates with an April 28th rally on Parliament Hill Ottawa, Ontario (the traditional, unceded, and unsurrendered territory of the Anishinàbe Algonquin Nation) – Today, 72,514 Canadians will see their petition signatures delivered to Parliament and the Government of Canada at…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice, Global South, Human Rights, Indigenous Rights, Media Releases, Social Justice, Turn Debt Into Hope
The leadership gap before us is not only political. It is moral.
April 20, 2026
Across Easter, Ramadan and Passover this year, faith leaders offered a clear, collective diagnosis: leadership has been hollowed out by performance, power and spectacle and must be reclaimed through care, truth and moral courage. Leadership, as they named it, is…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice, Executive Director, Gender Justice, Human Rights, Indigenous Rights, Migrant Justice
We have the right to say no: Reflections from the Tar Sands Tailings Crisis Conference
April 1, 2026
On March 25–26, leaders, knowledge keepers, community members, and advocates gathered for the Tar Sands Tailings Crisis: Protecting Our Water Conference in Enoch, Alberta. Over two intense days of dialogue, learning, and reflection, one message became unmistakably clear: we have the right…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice, Human Rights, Indigenous Rights
Rooted in 25 years of justice. Rising to what comes next.
March 30, 2026
Dear friends, This Easter, we are holding two truths at once: the weight of a world under strain and the possibility of transformation. As KAIROS marks 25 years, we are stepping into a new chapter with greater clarity and focus. The…
Post filed in: Executive Director, Gender Justice, Human Rights, Indigenous Rights, Migrant Justice
Water is life: Indigenous women, sacred waters and our shared responsibility
March 19, 2026
For many Indigenous Peoples, reflection on World Water Day does not begin and end on a single day. Protecting water is a daily responsibility, grounded in culture, spirituality and relationship to the land. Water is not simply a resource. It is life…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice, Indigenous Rights
Honouring the Indigenous women leaders and sacred life-givers this International Women’s Day
March 5, 2026
As we enter into International Women’s Day, I would like to take a moment to recognize all the strong, brave and passionate Indigenous women who take on the role of land defending, taking action for justice all while caring for children, families and communities. As Indigenous Rights Coordinator…
Post filed in: Gender Justice, Human Rights, Indigenous Rights
Support youth in their quest for peace and justice
March 2, 2026
On a warm September weekend in 2025, 37 people – youth between the ages of 15 and 30 and adults who support them – gathered at Hidden Acres Retreat Centre near New Hamburg, Ontario. This new gathering, called Model Youth Justice, was a convergence of voices from many walks of life. Its aim…
Post filed in: Human Rights, Indigenous Rights, Social Justice, Youth
A Christmas Message from the KAIROS Team
December 17, 2025
As Christmas approaches, we’re pleased to share a short message of gratitude and reflection from the KAIROS team. We invite you to watch the video — and share it with your family, friends, and networks. Make your Christmas gift here. This is…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice, Executive Director, Human Rights, Indigenous Rights
The beauty and the burden: Indigenous realities at COP30
December 4, 2025
When I think back on COP30, one of the first things that stands out is how often I saw Indigenous words, concepts and teachings being used in meeting titles, in discussion themes and even in the branding of events. And…
Post filed in: COP30, Human Rights, Indigenous Rights
Presenting the World Blanket Exercise at WIPCE 2025 – “A powerful healing ceremony”
November 24, 2025
“A powerful healing ceremony.” That’s how Indigenous peoples describe the World Blanket Exercise (WBE) when I and members of the WBE team delivered a 30-minute presentation on it at WIPCE 2025 (World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education), held in Aotearoa…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights, KAIROS Blanket Exercise
Celebrating Indigenous education as I stand in solidarity with land defenders against state oppression
November 19, 2025
Español The big snail shells sound. The drum calls for a gathering. Let’s begin. I think of Darío. A member of the local Mana Whenua tribe from central Auckland gives us the pōwhiri (traditional welcome) in his native language and thus…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
KAIROS responds to Budget 2025
November 6, 2025
Security for whom? Federal Budget 2025 prioritizes economic growth, militarization and border security over justice, equity, reconciliation, sustainability and peacebuilding The federal government finally tabled its long-awaited Budget 2025 on November 4. In our pre-budget submissions to Finance Canada and…
Post filed in: Ecological Justice, Gender Justice, Human Rights, Indigenous Rights, Migrant Justice, Statements
KAIROS denounces violence against Indigenous partners in Ecuador
November 3, 2025
KAIROS strongly opposes the criminalization of Indigenous leaders in Ecuador who peacefully demonstrate to express their concerns. KAIROS supports their cry: “We are not terrorists.” Ecuador’s armed forces have retaliated against its civilian population for demonstrating peacefully to defend and…
Post filed in: En Español, Global South, Human Rights, Indigenous Rights
September 30: Honouring truth, carrying memory, walking together
September 30, 2025
On September 30, we pause as a country — not to celebrate, but to remember. The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day are not symbolic gestures. They are living commitments. They are reminders etched in memory,…
Post filed in: Human Rights, Indigenous Rights, Uncategorized
Honouring the Fall Equinox – September 22nd
September 22, 2025
On September 22, the sun reaches a moment of balance — the Fall Equinox. Day and night are equal, reminding us of the natural cycles that guide our lives. Across many Indigenous nations, the Equinox is a time of reflection,…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
Orange Shirt Day: Every Child Matters
September 3, 2025
Each year, on September 30th, communities across Turtle Island mark Orange Shirt Day – the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to honour Survivors of residential schools, their families and the children who never came home. This day reminds us…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
KAIROS letter in The Hill Times: Canada shouldn’t trade on its values when seeking new partners
September 3, 2025
The Hill Times published this letter by KAIROS’ Silvia Vasquez-Olguin in its September 3, 2025 issue. RE: Observers eye fall sitting for bills to implement still-secret trade pacts with Indonesia and Ecuador Last October, I accompanied the delegation of Indigenous…
Post filed in: Global South, Human Rights, Indigenous Rights
Indigenous youth as agents of change on the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples
August 9, 2025
Each year on August 9, we mark the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, a day established by the United Nations to promote and protect the rights of Indigenous Peoples around the globe. It is also an opportunity to…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
Iconic symbols of Métis culture
June 27, 2025
Métis culture is immediately recognizable through its vibrant artistic expression. Some of the most iconic symbols include: The Métis Sash The colourful woven sash (or ceinture fléchée) is more than just a piece of clothing. Traditionally used as a belt,…
Post filed in: Indigenous Rights
