Ep. 287: The right to be cold: The challenge facing the Inuit

Guest: Sheila Watt-Cloutier

On February 18th, SFU’s Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue presented Sheila Watt-Cloutier with the Jack P. Blaney Award for Dialogue in recognition of her outstanding global leadership using dialogue in her work as an advocate for indigenous, environmental and cultural rights.

Shauna Sylvester, Executive Director of the Centre says, “Sheila’s quiet determination has moved thousands – from global leaders to young climate advocates. She is an educator, dialogue innovator and elder who has helped us understand the experiences of the Arctic and learn about what this means for our shared future.”

Watt-Cloutier previously held the role Canadian President of the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC), later to become the International Chair where she worked extensively to open space for dialogue that welcomes and invites the voices of indigenous peoples. Watt-Cloutier’s dialogue approach brings in indigenous storytelling as an empathy-driven connector between the minds and hearts of those she works with.

Watt-Cloutier is author of the memoir, The Right to Be Cold, a chronicle of Canada’s North detailing the devastating impact of climate change on Inuit communities.

We invited Sheila Watt-Cloutier to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the changes she has witnessed in the arctic.