Creating a Path to a New Confederation
First Peoples Group Principal and Founding Partner Guy Freedman shares powerful reflections on community, leadership, and imagining a better future with Public Inc. Read the full article here.
Honouring Red Dress Day: A Commitment to Truth, Justice, and Indigenous Voices
On Red Dress Day, we at First Peoples Group honour the lives of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People (MMIWG2S). This day is a solemn reminder of the violence that continues to impact Indigenous communities and the urgent need for justice, accountability, and healing. As an Indigenous women-led consulting firm, we hold […]
Anti-Woke Is Anti-Reconciliation
Across the globe, and especially in nations with colonial pasts, “anti-woke” has become a convenient rallying cry. At first, it appeared to be a pushback against identity politics or so-called political correctness. But the movement has evolved. It now functions as a direct resistance to historical truth, cultural accountability, and, crucially, reconciliation. Reconciliation between settler […]
From Father to Child, and Back Again: How Reciprocity Powers Our Work
Working with my father at First Peoples Group is one of the greatest honours of my life. It’s also one of the most misunderstood. In mainstream spaces, when people learn we work together, the word “nepotism” sometimes hovers in the background of the conversation. It’s a term shaped by Western understandings of merit and power, […]
From Reconcilation to Re-Confederation: Building a Better Canada
When Confederation was formed over 150 years ago, it was shaped by political deadlock, economic ambitions, and the need for shared infrastructure. Canada’s “founding fathers” sought to protect their interests, define their own path, and unite under a common government. But Confederation was also incomplete. Entire nations—First Nations, Métis, and Inuit—were excluded from the decision-making […]
[re]Confederation
While Canada is on its path towards reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, we are witness to the hope of a new relationship in the work that we do every day. When we brought together industry, community and government to dialogue around resource extraction and energy issues, that was reconciliation in action. When we sat with the […]
The Four S’s – Symbolic, Substantive, Systemic and Spirit
At FPG, we assess our work with our clients to ensure each project can go beyond symbolic and put in place substantive ‘goalposts’ to make room for system and systemic change. And we do this with spirit. What does it mean and look like when we say everything we do, we do it with the […]
Why BIPOC should never be used
Sometimes taking the long way is the best way to get to your destination. Taking a short cut, using an abbreviation or in this case a jumbled bunch of letters known better as an acronym can be confusing and even get you lost. This short story is a long way to tell you why BIPOC […]
Ignoring Cultural Protocols: Continued Encroachment on Indigenous Lands
I was recently invited to a community engagement session for a local library aiming to ‘Indigenize’ its space with Indigenous art and design. When I asked if representatives from local First Nations had also been invited, the answer was disheartening: no, only Indigenous peoples living in the region had been included. This scenario epitomizes a […]