Meet Our Speakers - Angela D'Elia Decembrini
Name: Angela D'Elia Decembrini
Title : Lawyer at First Peoples Law Corporation
Q: Tell us a bit about your work: what do you do/research/teach/practice? And how does it relate to or involve the governance of food or food systems?
We represent Indigenous Peoples across Canada seeking protection and recognition of their Aboriginal title, rights and Treaty rights. These rights are often tied to the land and resources which provide traditional sources of food and sustenance for the Indigenous communities. Many of the Indigenous clients I work with are asserting and exercising their inherent jurisdiction to regulate and manage the land and resources in a manner that is consistent with their own laws and legal orders.
Q: What is an ongoing and/or emerging food law and policy issue that you have come across through your work that you feel is important and/or urgent and why? What is at stake?
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted food insecurity issues and the specific ways that these issues affect Indigenous communities across Canada. In response, there seems to be a resurgence in the Indigenous food sovereignty movement, which recognizes the rights of Indigenous Peoples to make decisions about and produce their own food. To understand the importance of these issues, I think there has to be a recognition of the interconnectedness between the need for access to traditional food sources and Indigenous Peoples’ relationships with the land and environment, the exercise of their title and rights and the continuity of their cultures and traditions. The loss of traditional Indigenous food sources and practices results in the loss of Indigenous peoples’ traditional knowledge, which, in turn, undermines their connection to the land and limits their ability to exercise their Aboriginal title, rights and Treaty rights. It is also critical that we understand the way government policies and practices have contributed to Indigenous Peoples’ fragile food systems, both as a result of past colonial policies and government’s ongoing mismanagement of resources.
Q: Can you give us a hint of something you will talk about at the conference?
I will focus on the exercise of Mi’kmaq fishing rights in Atlantic Canada.
Q: As an advocate working for and with Indigenous Peoples in Canada and communities in Kenya, can you tell us a life lesson that your clients have taught you?
Whether in Canada or in Kenya, I have often been inspired by the resilience of the communities that I have worked with. Even when our clients are facing very serious issues that deeply affect their members, including life and death issues like access to food and water, they have the strength and determination to keep showing up and continue the fight for recognition of their rights. In my years of practice, I can’t recall a situation where a client has approached negotiations, whether with government or private industry, with a sense of defeat. I’ve learned so much from the resilience and determination my clients demonstrate on a daily basis.
Q: Based on your experience representing Indigenous clients in negotiations with the private sector and as a member of the Justice and Corporate Accountability Project, can you give us an example of how businesses have been successfully held accountable or have fostered positive change?
I have seen examples at both ends of the spectrum. I have seen positive long-term relationships built between Indigenous communities and the private sector, and I have also seen situations where relationships were not possible because of an unwillingness on the part of the resource company to engage with the community in a manner that recognized and respected their rights, concerns and interests. If these relationships are to be successful, there has to be a true commitment on the part of the private sector to engage meaningfully and in good faith with Indigenous communities.