Municipal Election

Independent Vancouver council candidate Wade Grant endorsed by Chief Robert Joseph

by Charlie Smith on October 19th, 2018 at 11:45 PM
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      The Musqueam people have called the Vancouver area home for many thousands of years.

      But since the city's incorporation in 1886, not a single First Nations person has ever been elected to council.

      On Saturday (October 20), independent candidate Wade Grant is trying to change that.

      And the father of two and former Musqueam council member has recently received a boost when he was endorsed by beloved Indigenous leader Robert Joseph.

      The hereditary chief of the Gwawaenuk First Nation, Order of Canada recipient, and residential-school survivor is perhaps best known as the originator of Vancouver's two walks for reconciliation.

      Joseph also founded Reconciliation Canada, which continues to bring Indigenous and non-Indigenous people together in a spirit of brotherhood, sisterhood, and harmony while acknowledging the cultural genocide that took place under the residential-school system.

      "I believe Wade Grant will work hard to create a vibrant city where everyone can achieve their full potential and benefit from shared prosperity," Chief Joseph said in a statement.

      Grant has also been endorsed by other respected Indigenous leaders, including the B.C. regional chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Terry Teegee, and B.C. Union of Indian Chiefs vice president Chief Bob Chamberlin.

      Grant is a former member of the Vancouver police board, a former senior policy analyst for the B.C. Assembly of First Nations, and former B.C. adviser to the national chief.

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