Mary Teegee-Gray

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Where we've been, Where we're at, Where we're going: History of the Highway of Tears

This Webinar was presented and recorded on May 22, 2025.

Since 1969 Indigenous women and girls have gone missing and have been found murdered along the 724 km stretch of Highway 16 from Prince Rupert to Prince George, British Columbia, also known as the Highway of Tears. They were daughters, sisters, aunties and friends. Despite the decades that this has continued, there is still a fundamental need to raise awareness about the victims, as well as to prevent future violence against Indigenous women and girls. In this webinar, a presenter from Carrier Sekani Family Services, will describe several initiatives that have taken place to raise awareness, make recommendations, and facilitate change.  

Webinar Recording


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Learning Objectives

  • Gain a deeper understanding of the factors contributing to the disappearance of Indigenous women and girls
  • Identify the 231 Calls for Justice from the National Inquiry and evaluate the progress made since their release   
  • Share resources and activities that focus on resilience, hope, and strength of Indigenous women and girls  

Speaker

Mary Teegee -Gray is Gitk’san and Carrier from Takla Lake First Nation; a proud member of the Luxgaboo Wolf Clan and she holds the Hereditary Chiefs name Maaxswxw Gibuu (White Wolf). She has been raised to live her culture, customs, laws and traditions. Mary has long espoused that in order for nations to be revitalized; nations have to heal from the atrocities that occurred through colonization. She also maintains that all services, programs and initiatives developed to benefit First Nations have to be built on a cultural foundation. She advocates that healing and wellness has to be a priority for Leaders.  

Mary is the Executive Director of Child and Family Services at Carrier Sekani Family Services (CSFS) overseeing the provincially delegated programs, and prevention programs, and the Highway of Tears Initiative as well as violence prevention programs. Mary is an accomplished Presenter at global and national conferences; always with the intent to educate and raise awareness of social issues for the First Nations people of Canada.  

Prior to working at CSFS, Mary worked for her nation as Chief Negotiator and as Deputy Chief. At CSFS she started developing and implementing Community Health programs for CSFS nations. She was also a part of the development of the CSFS Family Justice Facilitation Program in partnership with UNBC, the Justice Institute and the BC Mediators Roster Society. This collaboration produced approximately 20 First Nation Mediators for Northern families.  

Mary also contributes as:  

  • BC Representative on National Advisory Committee on First Nations Child and Family Services
  • President of BC Aboriginal Child Care Society
  • Chair of the BC Indigenous Child and Family Services Directors Forum
  • BC Board Representative for the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada(FNCFS)

As the BC representative on the FNCFS she has had the privilege of working with the FNCFS Board, Cindy Blackstock and the AFN on the Canadian Human Rights Court Case which proved Canada was discriminatory against First Nation children. Mary also participated on the National Legislative Working Group tasked to develop federal enabling legislation for Indigenous child and family which led to the Act Respecting First Nations, Inuit and Metis Children, Youth and Families.  

Her goal is to assist in the reformation of child and family services within Carrier nations, BC and Canada to ensure First Nation children are protected, are taken care of by their own families and have the freedom to live up to their full potential within their culture. She firmly believes that the way forward for our nations, is to revitalize cultural practices, traditions, customs and governing systems while embracing secular education and training.    

 

Où nous étions, où nous en sommes, où nous allons : l’histoire de la route des larmes  

Ce Webinaire a été présenté et enregistré le 22 mai  2025.

Depuis 1969, des femmes et des filles autochtones ont disparu et ont été retrouvées assassinées le long de la section de 724 km de la route 16 entre Prince Rupert et Prince George, en Colombie-Britannique, également connue sous le nom de la route des larmes.   

Elles étaient des filles, des sœurs, des tantes et des amies.   

Bien que cette situation se soit poursuivie pendant des décennies, il existe toujours un besoin fondamental de sensibiliser davantage les gens au sujet des victimes et de prévenir la violence faite aux femmes et aux filles autochtones à l’avenir. Dans ce webinaire, une présentatrice de l’organisme Carrier Sekani Family Services (CSFS) décrira plusieurs initiatives qui ont été prises pour sensibiliser les gens, formuler des recommandations et faciliter le changement.

Enregistrement du Webinaire

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Après avoir regardé cet enregistrement du webinaire, cliquez ici pour compléter un jeu-questionnaire et obtenir un certificat

Objectifs d'apprentissage

Ce webinaire permet aux participant.e.s de

  • Mieux comprendre les facteurs qui contribuent à la disparition des femmes et des filles autochtones
  • Identifier les 231  appels à la justice de l’Enquête nationale et évaluer les progrès réalisés depuis leur publication    
  • Partager des ressources et des activités axées sur la résilience, l’espoir et la force des femmes et des filles autochtones   

Conférencière

Mary Teegee -Gray  est Gitk’san et Carrier, de la Première nation Takla Lake, et fière membre du clan du loup Luxgaboo. Elle possède le nom des chefs héréditaires Maaxswxw Gibuu (Loup blanc). Elle a grandi en vivant pleinement la culture, les coutumes, les lois et les traditions de son peuple. Marie soutient depuis longtemps que pour revitaliser les nations, celles-ci doivent guérir des atrocités commises lors de la colonisation. Elle croit également que tous les services, programmes et initiatives élaborés au profit des Premières Nations doivent reposer sur des fondements culturels. Elle fait valoir que la guérison et le bien-être doivent être une priorité pour les dirigeant.e.s.

Mary est directrice générale des Services à l’enfance et à la famille chez Carrier Sekani Family Services (CSFS). Elle supervise les programmes délégués par la province, les programmes de prévention, l’initiative de la route des larmes, ainsi que les programmes de prévention de la violence. Présentatrice accomplie, Mary a participé à des conférences nationales et internationales, toujours dans le but d’éduquer son auditoire et de le sensibiliser aux enjeux sociaux des peuples des Premières Nations du Canada.

Avant de travailler auprès de l’organisme CSFS, Mary a travaillé pour sa nation en tant que négociatrice en chef et cheffe adjointe. Chez CSFS, elle a commencé à élaborer et à mettre en œuvre des programmes de santé communautaire pour les nations desservies par l’organisme. Elle a aussi participé à l’élaboration du programme de facilitation de la justice familiale de l’organisme CSFS en partenariat avec l’Université de Northern British Columbia, le Justice Institute et la BC Mediators Roster Society. Cette collaboration a permis de former une vingtaine de médiateurs membres des Premières Nations pour travailler avec les familles du Nord.

Marie contribue également en tant que :

  • représentante de la Colombie-Britannique au Comité consultatif national sur la réforme du Programme des services à l’enfance et à la famille des Premières Nations
  • présidente de la BC Aboriginal Child Care Society
  • présidente du BC Indigenous Child and Family Services Directors Forum
  • représentante de la C.-B. au conseil d’administration de la Société de soutien à l’enfance et à la famille des Premières Nations du Canada (la Société de soutien)

En tant que représentante de la Colombie-Britannique à la Société de soutien, Mary a eu le privilège de travailler avec le conseil d’administration de la Société de soutien, ainsi qu’avec Cindy Blackstock et l’Assemblée des Premières Nations, dans la cause plaidée devant le Tribunal canadien des droits de la personne qui a permis de démontrer que le Canada fait preuve de discrimination envers les enfants des Premières Nations. Mary a aussi participé au Groupe de travail national sur la législation chargé d’élaborer une loi fédérale habilitante pour les enfants et les familles autochtones, ce qui a mené à la Loi concernant les enfants, les jeunes et les familles des Premières Nations, des Inuits et des Métis.

Cette loi vise à contribuer à la réforme des services à l’enfance et à la famille au sein des nations Carrier, en Colombie-Britannique et au Canada, pour veiller à protéger les enfants des Premières Nations, à assurer leur prise en charge par leur propre famille et à leur donner la liberté de réaliser leur plein potentiel au sein de leur culture. Mary croit fermement que la voie à suivre pour nos nations consiste à revitaliser les pratiques culturelles, les traditions, les coutumes et les systèmes de gouvernance, tout en adoptant une éducation et une formation laïques.


 

Where we've been, Where we're at, Where we're going: History of the Highway of Tears

This Webinar was presented and recorded on May 22, 2025.

Since 1969 Indigenous women and girls have gone missing and have been found murdered along the 724 km stretch of Highway 16 from Prince Rupert to Prince George, British Columbia, also known as the Highway of Tears. They were daughters, sisters, aunties and friends. Despite the decades that this has continued, there is still a fundamental need to raise awareness about the victims, as well as to prevent future violence against Indigenous women and girls. In this webinar, a presenter from Carrier Sekani Family Services, will describe several initiatives that have taken place to raise awareness, make recommendations, and facilitate change.  

Webinar Recording


CLICK HERE FOR SLIDES

Click here for related resources

Learning Objectives

  • Gain a deeper understanding of the factors contributing to the disappearance of Indigenous women and girls
  • Identify the 231 Calls for Justice from the National Inquiry and evaluate the progress made since their release   
  • Share resources and activities that focus on resilience, hope, and strength of Indigenous women and girls  

Speaker

Mary Teegee -Gray is Gitk’san and Carrier from Takla Lake First Nation; a proud member of the Luxgaboo Wolf Clan and she holds the Hereditary Chiefs name Maaxswxw Gibuu (White Wolf). She has been raised to live her culture, customs, laws and traditions. Mary has long espoused that in order for nations to be revitalized; nations have to heal from the atrocities that occurred through colonization. She also maintains that all services, programs and initiatives developed to benefit First Nations have to be built on a cultural foundation. She advocates that healing and wellness has to be a priority for Leaders.  

Mary is the Executive Director of Child and Family Services at Carrier Sekani Family Services (CSFS) overseeing the provincially delegated programs, and prevention programs, and the Highway of Tears Initiative as well as violence prevention programs. Mary is an accomplished Presenter at global and national conferences; always with the intent to educate and raise awareness of social issues for the First Nations people of Canada.  

Prior to working at CSFS, Mary worked for her nation as Chief Negotiator and as Deputy Chief. At CSFS she started developing and implementing Community Health programs for CSFS nations. She was also a part of the development of the CSFS Family Justice Facilitation Program in partnership with UNBC, the Justice Institute and the BC Mediators Roster Society. This collaboration produced approximately 20 First Nation Mediators for Northern families.  

Mary also contributes as:  

  • BC Representative on National Advisory Committee on First Nations Child and Family Services
  • President of BC Aboriginal Child Care Society
  • Chair of the BC Indigenous Child and Family Services Directors Forum
  • BC Board Representative for the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada(FNCFS)

As the BC representative on the FNCFS she has had the privilege of working with the FNCFS Board, Cindy Blackstock and the AFN on the Canadian Human Rights Court Case which proved Canada was discriminatory against First Nation children. Mary also participated on the National Legislative Working Group tasked to develop federal enabling legislation for Indigenous child and family which led to the Act Respecting First Nations, Inuit and Metis Children, Youth and Families.  

Her goal is to assist in the reformation of child and family services within Carrier nations, BC and Canada to ensure First Nation children are protected, are taken care of by their own families and have the freedom to live up to their full potential within their culture. She firmly believes that the way forward for our nations, is to revitalize cultural practices, traditions, customs and governing systems while embracing secular education and training.

 

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