Nathan CARDINAL

Nathan Cardinal is a member of the Métis Nation and comes from a line of trappers who stewarded their lands in northern Alberta, Canada. He is the director of Indigenous Policy for Parks Canada, where he works collaboratively to = honour and support the stewardship of Indigenous Peoples and advance Parks Canada’s mandate to protect and present nationally significant examples of the cultural and natural heritage of Canada in ways that respect Indigenous rights and responsibilities.

Nathan has worked for Parks Canada for nearly 20 years, working at the intersection of Indigenous rights and conservation. He has had the opportunity to co-develop a variety of conservation and restoration initiatives with Indigenous Peoples, including the restoration of clam gardens and the revitalization of cultural burning practices.

Nathan also serves as the co-chair for the Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge Subcommittee for the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, where he works to advance respect for Indigenous knowledge in the assessment of species at risk in Canada.

Nathan lives in southwestern Canada on the traditional territory of the WSANEC and Hul’qumi’num Peoples.