Voices: A Pathway to Indigenous Inclusion

About the Film

Voices: A Pathway to Indigenous Inclusion is a bold and timely documentary that explores how Canada’s colonial legacy continues to shape its institutions — especially in the world of business, policy, and economic development.

Through powerful interviews with Inuit, First Nations Elders, and entrepreneurs, Voices invites viewers to reflect on why Indigenous inclusion is not only a legal mandate in many government contracts — but a moral and economic necessity for a better future.

The film highlights stories of leadership, resistance, and transformation across sectors, offering a way forward for organizations, and individuals ready to move beyond performative inclusion into meaningful partnerships.

Synopsis

Not just powerful people, but everyday working Canadians are being challenged — even mandated — to forge paths toward Indigenous partnerships. Meanwhile, Indigenous Canadians are asking for time and patience — commodities lacking amid today’s pressures and Canada’s history. Finding common ground is the only way forward, both fundamentally and legally, in the workplace and in business.

 

Join us on this journey as we examine the past and how it has shaped the present. Hear from Indigenous movers and shakers as they share their personal and their nation’s stories. Produced by Muckpaloo Ipeelie, this film lights the path to meaningful Indigenous partnerships — and the best way forward together, through Indigenous voices.

Why This Film Was Created

The idea for Voices came from a conversation Inuk advocate Muckpaloo Ipeelie had with a business consultant. This consultant was helping companies apply for federal government contracts. Part of the process required an “Indigenous Participation Plan” — a section showing how Indigenous people or businesses would be included.

Unfortunately, many companies didn’t understand the requirement. Some pushed back, some were frustrated, and others saw it as just an inconvenience.

At the same time, Muckpaloo herself was learning about this new policy. She joined seminars, asked questions, and eventually became eligible to offer her own services to the federal government. In these spaces, she saw how much confusion there was, and how, in the outside world, people understood so little about why Indigenous inclusion matters.

That experience sparked this film. Voices was created to explain the bigger picture — how Canada’s past shapes today’s policies, and why including Indigenous people in business and government isn’t just a rule on paper. It’s a step toward fairness, respect, and reconciliation.

This documentary shares stories of Indigenous people who are leading, creating, and building every day. They don’t need permission to belong — they always have.

Who You’ll Hear From

Voices features a diverse group of Indigenous changemakers whose lived experiences offer valuable insight into the intersections of business, culture, leadership, and inclusion.

• Elder James Carpenter – An Anishinaabe Elder and Traditional Healer with roots in Collingwood, Ontario
• Jennifer Wabegijig – An Anishinaabe entrepreneur from Manitoulin Island and owner of Wild and Glorious
• Elder David Serkoak – A respected Inuk Elder who was forcibly relocated to the high Arctic as a child, educator, and cultural advocate from Ahiarmiut, Nunavut
• Muckpaloo Ipeelie – Inuk filmmaker and founder of Urban Inuit Identity Project Inc. from Iqaluit, Nunavut

Their voices ground the film in both local and national Indigenous realities — showing how Canada’s systems can be reshaped through respect, truth, and Indigenous-led solutions.