Tanya Johnson is a forty-seven-year-old Mi’kmaw woman from Potlotek First Nation, a Mi’kmaw community located in Unama’ki, the traditional territory of Mi’kma’ki. She has worked for, and with, her Indigenous people for most of her life, recently supporting humans to navigate through Truth and Reconciliation exercises and speaking engagements with her business. Her work experience with the Canadian Criminal Justice system, various Mi’kmaq Indigenous governance organizations and community won Tanya the Tom Miller Human Rights Award in 2023. The Tom Miller award is given to recognize the dedication and service of an individual in the community, particularly for those disadvantaged by discrimination or Poverty. Tanya recently self-published her first Children’s book, Do you know my grandfather, Smokey Dad, he’s a superhero and will be releasing her second children’s book, Prince and the Wuklatmu’jk, this fall. In the past year Tanya has dedicated her time to finish writing this novel, Your Tears Are Not Enough. She hopes that it will help bring awareness to Canadians and people of Turtle Island to see the epidemic her Indigenous people experience, the epidemic of Murdered and Missing Indigenous people. She currently resides in Sydney, Nova Scotia with her husband and son, there, she continues to write and work on books that will inspire others, while creating a network of people who want to spread understanding, light and love.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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