Canoe Lake member participates in U.N. convention on biodiversity in Egypt
The first United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) held in the Middle East took place in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, for the 14th annual Conference of the Parties (COP14).
Launched in 1992 as part of the Rio Earth Summit, the UNCBD is a global agreement that was signed by 196 nations — Canada being the first developed country to ink the document — to represent a growing commitment to the conversation of biodiversity and its sustainable use.
Among the delegation from Canada was Joseph Tootoosis, a member of the Canoe Lake Cree First Nation with family ties to Flying Dust First Nation.
The 29-year-old worked for Flying Dust from 2015 to January 2018 in the land resource department and moved to Ottawa earlier this year to start a role with the Assembly of First Nations in the environment sector as a policy analyst.