Indigenous Peoples and Current Issues: Mediators and our Personal Stories

March 15, 2022

From Conflict Resolution Saskatchewan Inc. 

As mediators and conflict resolution professionals we often ask others to share their stories and guide processes designed to shift perspectives as the parties work towards resolution. We guide processes to help people communicate better, build and restore relationships, connect with others, understand different perspectives, apologize for harm suffered and reconcile to move forward.

How can mediators intentionally use those skills in a different context to understand and relate in a good way with Indigenous peoples? What are your personal stories as they relate to Indigenous people? Can we craft a different story with Indigenous people if the one we have needs a different outlook?

In this 3-hour interactive workshop, we will discuss major historical events about Indigenous peoples in Canada, learn about current Indigenous stories and discuss how we can craft a new personal narrative that allows for greater understanding of Indigenous issues and perspectives.

Register here. For more information, visit our website.

About our Presenter

Monique McKay is a conflict resolution professional with experience as a mediator, advocate, ombuds and advisor on Indigenous issues. She is currently the University Ombuds at Florida Gulf Coast University and a senior consultant at Keewatinohk Inniniw Minoayawin, working with a dedicated team to achieve wellness for Indigenous peoples in northern Manitoba.

Monique was the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Master Mediator Institute, an internationally recognized educational institute focused on furthering interdisciplinary understandings about the brain, human behavior, conflict resolution and facilitated decision making.

Monique has experience mediating and co-mediating complex litigated cases, including catastrophic loss, personal injury and medical malpractice cases. Her commercial experience includes a wide variety of contract disputes, employment claims, construction, oil and gas, real estate, and family business cases. She has also mediated community disputes, juvenile issues, and victim-offender cases.

Monique was corporate counsel and handled many corporate and commercial matters.

Monique has expertise in Indigenous legal and governance issues and restorative justice. She has worked with Indigenous and Canadian governments and organizations on justice initiatives, education issues, self-government models and policy development related to self-government. Many of the issues she was involved with required efforts on multiple fronts, often combining legal, negotiation and political efforts to achieve resolution.

Monique has conducted presentations and trainings on basic and advanced mediation, conflict resolution and Indigenous governance in the US, Canada, and Europe. She was an adjunct professor at William & Mary Law School where she taught mediation, mediation advocacy and was the Faculty Advisor for the ADR team. Monique has conducted customized trainings for businesses and organizations on mediation, conflict management and advocacy.

Monique has designed conflict resolution systems and has experience drafting codes of conduct and designing customized conflict resolution systems with multiple ways to address conflict and resolve individual disputes and systemic conflict.

Monique has facilitated and co-facilitated high profile community hearings. She was a cofacilitator of national meetings co-sponsored by the US Bureau of Indian Education and the US Department of Education and held as a part of the President’s Initiative on Indian Education. These meetings involved facilitating dialogue between Native American Tribal leaders and the Federal government.

Monique has earned a LL.M (Masters in Law) in Dispute Resolution from Pepperdine University; a LL.B (Bachelor of Laws Degree); a B.A. and a Diploma in Journalism for Native History from the University of Western Ontario.