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From Where I Stand

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An Indigenous leader who has dedicated her life to Indigenous Rights, Jody Wilson-Raybould has represented both First Nations and the Crown at the highest levels. And she is not afraid to give Canadians what they need most – straight talk on how to deconstruct Canada's dark colonial legacy and embrace a new era of recognition and reconciliation

In this powerful book, drawn from Wilson-Raybould’s speeches and other writings, she urges all Canadians – both Indigenous and non-Indigenous – to build upon the momentum already gained in the reconciliation process or risk hard-won progress being lost. The choice is stark: support Indigenous-led initiatives for Nation rebuilding or continue to allow governments to just “manage the problem.” She also argues that true reconciliation will never occur unless governments transcend barriers enshrined in the Indian Act that continue to deny Indigenous Peoples their rights. Until then, we’ll be stuck in the status quo – mired in conflicts and court cases that do nothing to improve people’s lives or heal the country.

The good news is that Indigenous Nations already have the solutions. But now is time to act and build a shared postcolonial future based on the foundations of trust, cooperation, recognition, and good governance. Frank and impassioned, this book charts a course forward – one that will not only empower Indigenous Peoples but strengthen the well-being of Canada and all Canadians.

From Where I Stand is indispensable reading for anyone who wants to dig deeper into the reconciliation process to know what they can do to make a difference -- ranging from engaged citizens, leaders, and policy-makers to students, educators, and academics, and to lawyers and consultants.

255 pages, Paperback

Published September 20, 2019

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Jody Wilson-Raybould

4 books116 followers

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5 stars
47 (16%)
4 stars
109 (39%)
3 stars
101 (36%)
2 stars
17 (6%)
1 star
4 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
491 reviews1 follower
October 20, 2019
Those who are looking for a "Tell All" book on the SNC Lavalin affair, will be disappointed. But this collection of edited speeches that JWR has delivered over the last 10 years is worth a read. It is insightful, intelligent and aspirational. But it's sad to think of all the amazing things this woman would have done in the role of Minister of Justice, and that by standing by her values and integrity, she is now an outsider. I don't think she's finished yet......Jody Wilson-Raybold is the embodiment of true leadership.
Profile Image for Bradley Metlin.
51 reviews21 followers
September 27, 2019
“I come from a long line of matriarchs and I am a truth teller in accordance with the laws and traditions of our Big House,” Jody Wilson-Raybould testified in front of the House of Commons Justice Committee. From Where I Stand is proof of this.

A collection of speeches, Wilson-Raybould’s voice is strong and comes alive. Some of them are more effective than others, as is the nature with any collection. Her introduction was so well written and engaging, I wish more of the book contained original writing to supplement the preexisting speeches.

Anyone hoping for tidbits of gossip will be disappointed but for anyone who takes Indigenous reconciliation in Canada seriously, this is a good read.
Profile Image for Joanne MacNevin.
216 reviews8 followers
January 17, 2020
I agree with what she has to say. I just think that she could have gone a lot deeper into the issues she discussed had she decided to present those issues as chapters, rather than printing her speeches. Her speeches were well-written, but reading one after another after another tended to get really repetitive. I would have liked more depth.
Profile Image for Amanda Spitzig.
80 reviews
November 9, 2021
Jody Wilson Raybould’s “From Where I Stand” is a collection of speeches and lectures penned and delivered by JWR during her time as Regional Chief of the Assembly of First Nations for BC (2009-2015) and as Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada (2015-2019). The pieces cover a wide range of Indigenous policy issues, addressing topics such as decolonization, reconciliation, the recognition of rights, self-governance, criminal justice, and the duty to consult.

JWR is obviously an expert on these issues. I loved that she actually put forth bold visions for the solutions needed to address many of the issues raised - including legal and policy reforms, and work that must be done by Indigenous communities. That being said, if you’re unfamiliar with many of the developments in the Indigenous policy sphere over the last several years/decades, much of this book will probably fly over your head.

Some key takeaways emphasized by JWR:
- The difference between what reconciliation truly means (“confronting and ending the legacy of colonialism in Canada and replacing it with a future built on Indigenous self-determination”) versus how the courts continue to interpret reconciliation (“the reconciliation of the prior existence of Indigenous peoples and the assertion of Crown sovereignty”)
- The importance of implementing UNDRIP, and building a future where self-determination and self-government are fully respected
- The need to move from judicial leadership re: s.35 rights of the past 35 years, towards political leadership based on the recognition of rights
- The need for a practical and efficient mechanism to facilitate First Nations transitioning beyond the Indian Act / through the “post-colonial door”
- How to develop strong and healthy First Nations governments, so that First Nations are able to govern well once they transition out from the Indian Act (i.e. communities need to do a lot of work re: how to define their Nations, how to govern, how to deliver programs and services, etc.) - “only the colonized can decolonize”
- How can we implement legal pluralism (the coexistence of self-government with colonial legal systems)
- The need to move away from Indigenous communities making “claims” and negotiating final agreements (including the end of the comprehensive claims policy) towards engagement based on principles of recognition and reconciliation of inherent rights. Reconciliation requires ongoing relationships, not final agreements.

My only critique of this book: as a policy analyst working directly on many of the things JWR touches on in this book, I will say that a lot of the speeches are dated. Some are over 10 years old. Several are repetitive of one another. Many, if not all of the proposed solutions identified by JWR in this book have been done, attempted, or are currently underway. A lot of progress continues to be made on these issues at a rapid pace! Regardless, I learned a lot from reading this.
Profile Image for Andrew.
680 reviews249 followers
January 14, 2020
From Where I Stand, by Jody Wilson-Raybould is a book containing a series of speeches and remarks by former Attorney General of Canada, Jody Wilson-Raybould, now MP for the riding of Vancouver-Granville. Raybould shot to fame in Canada through her role in the SNC-Lavalin scandal that erupted in Justin Trudeau's Liberal Government in 2019. This scandal revolved around the accusation that Trudeau and the Liberal's attempted to influence Wilson-Raybould's investigation of SNC-Lavalin in relation to the companies application for a Remediation Agreement Regime - basically a deferred prosecution agreement. Numerous litigation had been filed against the company, and these charges had reduced the share price of SNC-Lavalin, with the threat of a takeover becoming more likely. The government of Quebec, and by extension Canada, considers SNC-Lavalin to be a strategically important corporation. This influence attempt was leaked, with Wilson-Raybould eventually speaking on the matter. She was expelled from the Liberal Caucus and lost her position as Attorney General because of it. She then successfully ran for MP as an independent in Vancouver-Granville, eventually joining the NDP after the election. Wilson-Raybould is a veteran legal expert, and a member of the Kwak’wala nation, where she has held numerous roles of importance in Canada's indigenous community, in particular in British Colombia.

Wilson-Raybould does not touch on the scandal here (there is still litigation before the court, although I look forward to a future book on this subject!), instead focusing on a more important matter - Indigenous rights in Canada. Canada is a colonial nation with a history of suppression toward its Indigenous, Metis and Inuit community. The process of Reconciliation is an ongoing political issue in Canada, and to date, although some improvements have been made, Indigenous issues are still covered under the colonial era (and disgustingly titled) Indian Act. This means that affairs for Indigenous nations in Canada are the responsibility of the Federal Government. This has led to numerous issues, including attempts at assimilation (residential schools), bottlenecked resources, stymied development, poor education, overt marginalisation of Indigenous peoples, and much more.

The speeches in this book are interesting, in a political sense. Wilson-Raybould discusses many topics, including the implementation of UNDRIP (The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples) into Canadian law, Indigenous sovereignty and self-government in Canada, the topic of Reconciliation and the #IdleNoMore movement, principles of legal ethics, and so on. All of these touch on the above scandal in some ways, while avoiding discussing it overtly. These speeches are very inspiring in many ways, and do contain some tidbits on policy ideas for how to implement Reconciliation legislation in Canada, as well as the very important topic of preparing Indigenous communities for aspects of self government. Governance issues (taxation, distribution of income, litigation in courts, etc.) are also discussed. Wilson-Raybould also touches on the subject of women's rights and its similarities to Indigenous rights.

Even so, there is a weakness here, in that little of substance is contained within the book. Some interesting principles are examined, without giving any clear indication of how these principles or ideas could become policy tools. The subtitle of this book, "Rebuilding Indigenous Nations for a Stronger Canada," hints at more depth than is contained. This was not a bad book by any stretch of the imagination, and is very inspiring in many ways. But to me it felt like a political manifesto through a collection of speeches - more of a political text for easy consumption for Canadian voters and Indigenous leaders in Canada. Not a bad thing at all, but again, containing less information and less practical information on how to rebuild Indigenous nations in Canada. This may be a good introduction to the topic for some, and is certainly a fair read as a political manifesto. For those interested in Wilson-Raybould's ideas and career, this would be a fabulous read. I was slightly disappointed by the lack of content, in my opinion, but still enjoyed this book and found it useful to read.
Profile Image for Brandon Forsyth.
917 reviews183 followers
October 17, 2022
I finished this book many months ago, so many of the details of these speeches have faded from my mind, but I’m left with admiring both the specificity and general tone of integrity of Jody Wilson-Raybauld’s arguments here. It’s easy to admire someone who speaks clearly about a broad cultural issue, but it’s another to see the daily work of rebuilding communities and advocating for incremental changes. This book has inspired me to learn more about Indigenous communities in my area and get more involved.
64 reviews
February 4, 2021
While the topic of reconciliation in Canada is important, I found this book to be disappointing in its telling. It is a series of speeches, which, leads to overlapping themes, redundant messages and a lack of flow.
17 reviews
October 2, 2025
i picked this up ahead of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. i remembered first seeing this shortly after jody wilson-raybould, icon and the first Indigenous woman to become minister of justice, was pushed out of trudeau’s government in the snc-lavalin affair.

this collection of speeches, at times repetitive, draws from her personal and extensive professional experiences to offer visionary yet pragmatic ideas for reconciliation from within the structures that be.

while jody wilson-raybould presents legal, economic, social and political avenues for crown-Indigenous relations that are at once actionable and theoretically principled, i can’t say that i enjoyed the decision to reprint all these speeches nearly verbatim.

there were frustrating moments where i was internally shouting that she should go deeper here or provide more context there, especially on certain recurring ideas. other times, it was rereading the same anecdote that appeared in the last ten speeches. when spoken in person to different audiences each time, sure! why reinvent the wheel, especially a wheel that’s individual and impactful? but they aren’t so meaningful when read over and over again with very similar wording.

while her ideas are largely consistent over the years, there’s only a tad more contentiousness against the establishment in the couple of speeches from after she leaves government. but whether it be to business leaders or to First Nations leadership associations, she keeps promoting “boldness” and “audacity” in urgent pleas to overcome bureaucratic and governmental quagmire.

after all this time, it’s a disappointing truth that these calls to action and the state of reconciliation more broadly are still so far from what jody wilson-raybould envisioned.
Profile Image for Sarah Flynn.
297 reviews5 followers
November 12, 2020
This book has lots of important messages. Wilson-Reybould's baseline message on reconciliation is I believe the only right possible way to move forward with the world we've got. That said, her approach is sometimes maddeningly methodical and slow. I can imagine that there are people in all camps who would take issue with her thorough and fair approach, for all different reasons. But it is usually like that for the people who are preaching reason, fairness, and measured response. Those paths are never glitzy or flashy, and are often downright uninspiring. It's the slow, disciplined work of rightness of mind, fairness to all, and the unpleasant task of making room for everyone at the table, even when that means giving up some of your space for others.
Her views on women are particularly fair and uncompromising, in the best way.
The book is a slow read, it is very repetitive, and like the ideas it contains, it is not flashy. But in the end, I believe it's an important read for anyone who fancies that they are opposed to inequality. Wilson-Reybould has lots to teach us all from her unique perspectives as woman, Indigenous woman, Indigenous leader, Canadian, and Canadian leader.
62 reviews2 followers
January 21, 2021
I have great admiration for Jody Wilson-Raybould, as she has given an enormous amount of time, energy and compassion to advance and improve the rights of all Indigenous Peoples in Canada. We need more people like her in positions of power in Canada. From Where I Stand is full of powerful and hopeful messages and does a wonderful job of explaining the complexity and roadblocks that are being faced when it comes to Reconciliation in Canada. I rated it 3 stars simply because for me, the format of the book, being a collection of speeches, often meant that I felt like I was rereading the same details over and over. The other issue that I found was, while there are many great discussions and plans in this book, the nature of them being presented within a speech meant that when finished, there was no action or follow-up, and for the topic of Reconciliation, I wanted more follow-through. To be clear, I know that action and effort is being made all over Canada, but that wasn't totally felt in the book.
Profile Image for Erica B.
617 reviews7 followers
October 20, 2020
The author provides some strong speeches on Indigenous rights and the need for self governance. While fully acknowledging the need to get rid of the Indian Act and change the status of Indigenous people in Canada, what is missing is the how. Self governance is repeated as the cure all, but there is never any plan on how to achieve this, which makes me think of Quebec separatism or Brexit. With these ideas there was the grand idea, but no one quite thought of the way to get there and all the details. I think the author is actually someone who understands more than most the bureaucracies and legalities involved in making this transition, so I feel rather than this group of speeches, she would have done better to actually take the time to write a book on her thoughts and proposals. The speeches just seem repetitive and sometimes too jargony, as they were for a specific crowd. There were some good points, but it could have been delivered better.
Profile Image for Clivemichael.
2,500 reviews3 followers
March 1, 2020
Inspiring timely statements well articulated and presented.
"One thing I have come to appreciate in both Indigenous and non-Indigenous politics is that far too often people are seeking power for the sake of power itself, which is incredibly dangerous for society and, in particular, when governing in the complex world we live in. As in my culture, we have to"tame” the Hamatsa (MaleLeader/Chief). Modern democracies require that those who govern our elected to do so for the right reasons and must be held accountable."
34 reviews1 follower
January 25, 2021
I confess to going at this book in fits and starts. But it is an very interesting perspective on the aboriginal issue confronting our country, and organized chronologically, the authors speeches and talks through the years on these issues make for short chapters and a fairly quick history lesson.
I am so impressed with JWR. She is clear, organized, and incredibly passionate about getting things done.
I come away with a better understanding (though nowhere near complete!) of the history, challenges, and potential paths forward. And I am better for it.
Profile Image for Kali Hines.
88 reviews1 follower
September 21, 2022
Took me a while to finish simply because I was reading it when I was in the mood for reading essays. Really strong essays and informative; I found some slightly repetitive but that’s to be understood with them deriving from speeches she’s given. Good for anyone looking to understand more about the situation surrounding Indigenous lives and structures restricting them, more about the laws and legislation that have been put in place, and working to decolonize their minds
Profile Image for Jack Lee.
10 reviews
August 17, 2020
- I learned so much reading this book and there is still so much to learn
- I really admire JWR's unwavering optimism and vision for the future of Canada
- JWR's analysis of the history of the Indian Act and ongoing legal battles relating to Section 35 ought to be required reading in secondary schools.
140 reviews1 follower
April 12, 2020
Some of these speeches are more powerful than others. Unfortunately, particularly in the front end, they get very repetitive. Wish this had been more edited, or included more original writing. But happy to support JWR anyway!
Profile Image for Debi Robertson.
458 reviews
May 19, 2020
A collection of her speeches so some repetition. It answered a lot of questions for me and helped me to understand the issues at hand for the governance of indigenous peoples. It also raised a lot of questions for me. It took me a long time to read it but it was worth it.
22 reviews
August 16, 2020
Her vision for a inclusive Canada— one that brings Indigenous communities at the table alongside settler governments— is a good one. However this collection of her speeches gets repetitive. As a non-Indigenous reader longing for more concrete actions I can take, this book left me disappointed.
3 reviews1 follower
January 3, 2022
Incredible insight into the changes both Indigenous peoples, and the government need to take, in order to achieve a transformative decolonized future. Great ideas, and directions for how to move forward On the road to self governance for Indigenous peoples!
Profile Image for Mj.
49 reviews1 follower
March 7, 2022
Repetitive and poorly formatted
Could have had a better approach to organizing the information presented
Felt like she was trying to appeal to both sides of the social political spectrum at the same time
I think she is a good leader and speaker but this book didn't meet my expectations
Profile Image for Alexis (hookedtobooks).
1,287 reviews50 followers
July 29, 2025
Read if you like: collection of speeches on Indigenous Issues
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This was an interesting collection of speeches and I liked reading about Wilson-Raybould's perspective on government and reconciliation. The speeches were a bit repetitive, but I appreciated her legal knowledge when discussing topics such as the Indian Act and The Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Overall, a good read.
Profile Image for Nikolas.
31 reviews
April 13, 2020
One of the most important books I've ever read. Need to work together for a better Canada for everyone!
29 reviews
May 7, 2020
Clear description of treaties, Colonialism experience in Canada and the road ahead to solve reconciliation and First Nation progress. Sad reflection of man inhumanity.
Profile Image for Cindy.
546 reviews1 follower
January 13, 2021
Informative but quite repetitive. I was hoping for more about leaving the liberal caucus.
9 reviews
February 28, 2021
Some speeches in this book were excellent, however I found the format and writing quite challenging at times to get through. That said, I did learn a lot from reading it.
Profile Image for Kathryn Buchanan.
104 reviews
April 27, 2024
I enjoyed this book, as much as I ever enjoy reading speeches. Part of my own reconciliation project.
11 reviews
May 4, 2024
Every good book, it makes you think about what took place and what other secrets does the government hide. I have also read Jody Wilson Raybould other books and it makes me think.
146 reviews1 follower
May 11, 2021
It does provide meaningful insights into JWR's perspective on First Nations priorities and from that perspective is worth reading. It is a collection of her speeches over the years and, as such, can be repetitive. None=the=less, a worthwhile read from a significant voice in Canadian politics.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews

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