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“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

PUHALLO: With the voice they have re-gained we should listen this time


There is something I think Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Prime Ministers Office (PMO) have been missing during this whole controversy about SNC-Lavalin. That is, the re-emergence of the Indigenous "voice", and what we can learn from it.

Jody Wilson-Raybould describes herself as a "truth talker".

That is not just a marketing brand or product framing. It’s a belief in the power of truth. It is a tenant that lies at the root of the Indigenous Peoples' Renaissance we are witnessing in Canada today.

The telling of truth, and of accepting the truth; around residential schools, conditions on reserves, semi-autonomous self government, the Delgamuukw Decision, the snatchings, voting and access rights -- all of the Indigenous experience since first contact with European colonists.

With the voice they have re-gained we should listen this time

Justin Trudeau keeps on trying to deny, and re-direct, and spin, the pressure and bullying his office and staff were a part of.

It's been a failure every time.


He's spoken about 'reconciliation', but has sadly missed the most important part of reconciliation.

That is, speaking and accepting the truth, no matter what.


The first settlers who came to this land felt very deeply they had so much to teach The People they found here. It turns out The People had a very important lesson to teach them.

Now, with the voice they have re-gained, and the lesson on "truth talking" we are seeing from Ms. Wilson-Raybould, we should listen this time



Steven Puhallo’s beliefs can be can be summarized by this statement: “Hard work, smartly done, with the right tools given to the right people can move mountains.  I believe that we can all make a difference for ourselves, our families and our communities by working together”.

Living in Kamloops, he is the proud father of 2 amazing girls and a happy husband to an amazing wife.

Steven is currently the President & CEO of Cowboy Gaming (Canada) – prior to that he was the Executive Director of the North Shore Business Improvement Association for over 4 and a half years. (May 2013 – November 2017)



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