Tanya Kappo

Tanya Kappo is an indigenous rights activist. She is one of the co-founders of Idle No More and was briefly the manager of community relations for Canada's national public inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

Early life and education[]

Kappo is from the Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation in Treaty 8 Territory and was raised on the Northwestern Alberta Reserve in Sturgeon Lake.^[1] Her father was Harold Cardinal, author of The Red Paper. She graduated the University of Manitoba with a J.D. in 2012.^[2][3]

Career[]

Kappo co-founded the Idle No More movement in November 2012.^[4] Kappo described the impetus for founding the movement as "the legislation facing First Nations, primarily Bill C-45".^[3] Kappo co-edited the book The Winter We Danced: Voices From the Past, the Future, and the Idle No More Movement.^[5][6]

Kappo was hired as the community relations for the national public inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in early 2017.^[7] She resigned from the inquiry in June 2017.^[8][9] In November, 2017, Kappo emceed the symposium, Indigenous Climate Action: An Indigenous led climate change initiative.^[10] She currently works as a lawyer in Alberta.^[11][12]

Politics[]

In 2006, Kappo ran for the Liberal Party of Canada in the federal election in the riding of Peace River (Alberta). She lost to Conservative candidate Chris Warkentin.^[13][14]

Personal life[]

Kappo has three children and lives in Edmonton.^[3]

References[]