Taking Space – And Making Space

When Suzanne Carrière was first appointed a citizenship judge with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, she was touted as the first Métis person to serve in the role.

"I was a bit annoyed when I first got that tagline," Carrière said during a panel discussion on Indigenous women leaders at Forward Summit West. "It felt a bit performative."

Sine her appointment, Carrière has welcomed more than 110,000 new citizens to Canada. Along the way, she learned to embrace the tagline that once rankled her.

"If you're going to call me that, you better be prepared for me to bring my Métis self to everything I do," Carrière said.

Being the first person to do something always comes with added pressure and scrutiny, Carrière said. She took a two-pronged approach as an Indigenous woman leader: taking space and making space.