(Ottawa, ON) – February 28, 2024 – On this week’s episode of Roots and Hoots, host Gordon Spence is thrilled to be joined by His Excellency Whit Fraser, C.C. With an illustrious communications career in Canada’s Arctic, Mr. Fraser takes listeners on a journey that includes key events and figures that have shaped today’s Arctic. His coverage with CBC included the First Minister’s Constitutional amendments that enshrined Indigenous rights in the Constitution Act, Inuit land claim agreements, the Berger Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry and the creation of the Nunavut Territory. This episode is filled with historical relevance and captivating details that make up a career well served and a life well lived.

Mr. Fraser began his career with CBC as a reporter in Frobisher Bay. Hailing from a little village in Nova Scotia called Stellarton, he speaks to the parallels and comfort he felt in moving from one small town to another. His memoir True North Rising and historical fiction Cold Edge of Heaven, showcase his talent as a natural storyteller. Reflecting on his life’s trajectory, Mr. Fraser credits a Yogi Berra quote for shaping his path, illustrating how ‘When you come to a fork in the road, take it’ even proved true during a polar bear encounter!

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Married to Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada, Mr. Fraser speaks to how life has led them beyond their wildest dreams. From this interview, it is clear that Mr. Fraser found friendships and fulfillment through his work, presenting a unique perspective on the Inuit and Dene struggles to protect their homelands and advance land claims. Mr. Fraser is generous in situating the listener, through his coverage of the Berger Inquiry of the proposed Mackenzie Valley Pipeline. He speaks of his time as a founding chairman of the Canadian Polar Commission (now Polar Knowledge Canada), and the importance placed on regarding Indigenous knowledge in science.

As the conversation winds down, Mr. Fraser speaks to the many ways of approaching Reconciliation and how it can be practiced – by showing mutual respect, making friends and simply holding conversations. As humans he says, we have different worldviews, different cultures and languages, but one-on-one, we can always find some form of common ground.

The LHF is a national, Indigenous-led, charitable organization that has been working to promote healing and Reconciliation in Canada for over 24 years. The LHF’s goal is to educate and raise awareness about the history and existing intergenerational impacts of the Residential and Day School Systems and subsequent Child Welfare System on Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis) Survivors, their descendants, and their communities to promote hope and healing in Canada. The LHF works to encourage Canadians to address discrimination and injustice in order to contribute to the equity, dignity, and respectful treatment of Indigenous Peoples and to foster Reconciliation.

The LHF has close to 30 educational exhibitions that promote awareness of Indigenous history that are free to borrow and is working on making exhibitions available online. LHF also has curriculum for K-12 and for adults, along with Activity Guides, Workshops and Training, two Podcast series, all aimed at educating Canadians about Indigenous history and the shared history of Residential and Day Schools, the Child Welfare System, and other colonial acts of oppression. The LHF works to develop empathy and understanding so as to eliminate ongoing racism against Indigenous Peoples.

For media inquiries:
Teresa Edwards, B.A. JD.
Executive Director and In-House Legal Counsel
Legacy of Hope Foundation
Phone: 613-237-4806 Ext. 303 info@legacyofhope.ca