Traditional Ecological Knowledge Expert Group

Kathy Hodgson-Smith

Kathy L. Hodgson-Smith is a Saskatoon lawyer who practices criminal and Aboriginal law, as well as on behalf of the Métis Legal Research Education Foundation. She has litigated in all levels of court including the Provincial Court and Court of Queen’s Bench in Saskatchewan, the Courts of Appeal in Saskatchewan and Alberta, the Federal Court of Appeal, and as co-counsel at the Supreme Court of Canada.

She has worked on various national policy initiatives for the Métis National Council (MNC), including the Aboriginal Human Resources Development Agreement Strategy, Canada-Aboriginal Peoples Roundtables, the Kelowna Accord, and Post-Powley. She has also given evidence at the Canadian Aboriginal Affairs Standing Committee on the effects of McIvor decision on the Métis. She has researched and presented on Métis Aboriginal rights law and traditional knowledge at local, provincial, national, and international forums and conducted research for the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, the Canadian Education Association and the Canada Council on Learning and conducts traditional land-use studies for the Métis.

Internationally, she also represents the MNC on the United Nations World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Committee on the Protection of Indigenous Traditional Knowledge and Genetic Resources, and on the Canadian Delegation to the Convention on Biological Diversity.

She has chaired a number of committees, including the MNC National Research Strategy and Urban Aboriginal Strategy committee, National Environment Committee, in addition to the Canadian Standards Association Technical Committee, which established a national standard for the operation of Mètis Nation Registries.

Donna Hurlburt

Donna Hurlburt is a Mi’kmaw ecologist and conservation biologist from Lequille, Nova Scotia.  She is a member of Acadia First Nation, but resides off-reserve in the traditional lands of her ancestors, who were well known hunting and fishing guides in southwestern Nova Scotia.  She holds a Ph.D. in environmental biology and ecology from University of Alberta, a B.Sc. in agriculture from Dalhousie University, and a M.Sc. in biology from Acadia University, where she works part-time as an Aboriginal Student Advisor. She also owns a small consulting firm that integrates Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge (ATK) and scientific knowledge in environmental decision-making for clients across Canada. She is also a member of the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) and a co-chair of their ATK Subcommittee.

Michael Vegh

Michael Vegh is a Heiltsuk Nation Steward. After completing his bachelor’s degree in environmental studies in 2018, he joined the Central Coast Indigenous Resource Alliance to further his passion for Indigenous stewardship. His professional work has involved executive roles within numerous Indigenous and environmental organizations, several positions as a field biologist within his traditional territory, and participating in policy development at both the national and regional levels to advance Indigenous-led stewardship.