CEO and Producer at Triple Threat Films Inc, Trial Lawyer, Former MP, BC Cabinet Minister, Author
One of the most consequential parts of Canada’s constitution is Section 35 – Indigenous rights and title, and the Crown’s duty to consult. The man who drafted Section 35? Lawyer, filmmaker and long-time politician, Ian Waddell.
Ian’s had a hand in some of Canada’s most prominent court cases. He was part of Canada’s first successful consumer class-action lawsuit and played a signature role in Justice Tom Berger’s landmark Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry. As a federal NDP MP, Ian was the Energy Critic during the era of the National Energy Program. And in the late 90’s, he served in multiple cabinet positions for the then-BC NDP government, launching the successful bid for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and overseeing the first land-use agreement for the Great Bear Rainforest – one of the largest land protection measures in North American history.
When it comes to better understanding Canadian political history, there is no better place to start than a conversation with Ian Waddell on the deck of his Vancouver home.
What do you think?
- What did you learn from Ian’s story?
- What do you think of Section 35?
- Can true reconciliation be addressed through our constitution or does it need to be evolved?
- Does Section 35 limit our ability to grow our economy or protect biodiversity? If you think it does, how would you change it while still protecting Indigenous rights and title?
- What can we learn from Ian about building consensus?
- Are compromise agreements a win-win, or more often a lose-lose?
- How do we foster thoughtful debate – in media, in politics, in society – on issues that are complex?
- How will you build on Ian Waddell’s legacy?