b'ALLYSHIPADVOCACY,Senator Kim Pates mission ACCOMPLICESHIP for Indigenous women and and equity JUSTICE By Bryan HansenS enator Kim Pate brings over four decades of experience advocating for marginalized communities, particularly those failed by Canadas justice system. Her appoint-ment to the Senate in 2016 by a group of Indigenous women was both historic and a reflection of her lifelong commit-ment to advancing the rights of the most vulnerable. As a non-Indigenous woman, Pate approaches allyship with intention, seeing herself not just as an ally, but as an accompliceactively working to amplify Indigenous voices and drive systemic change.An Indigenous woman once told me, We dont want allies; we want accomplices, and that really resonated with me, Pate says. Allyship can sound passive, but being an accomplice means taking action. This distinction fuels her work as she tackles theshe explains. For Pate, this means knowingpopulation in Canadaa statistic over-incarceration of Indigenous womenwhen to step back and allow Indigenousthat she finds deeply troubling. Our and advocates for guaranteed livablevoices to lead and when to use her positionprisons are full of the people who are income. For Pate, her Senate appointmentin the Senate to push for critical changes,failed by every other system. Nowhere wasnt only an honourit was a call tosuch as advocating for criminal justiceis this clearer than when you look at action. When the prime minister said hereform and a guaranteed livable income. Indigenous women, she says.wanted to see the kind of activism I had been involved with in the Senate, I tookPate is clear that much of what she hasDespite the alarming numbers, this issue that very seriously, she recalls. learned about being an accomplice hashas often been overlooked. Its not come from Indigenous women. Ive madethat people are intentionally ignoring lots of mistakes along the way, and itsIndigenous women in prisons, but when ALLYSHIP VS. ACCOMPLICESHIP:on me to learn from them, acknowledgethere are so many criseshousing, A CALL TO ACTION them and try to do better, she says. Thischild welfare, missing and murdered While the term ally is often used toapproach is central to her work, drivingIndigenous womenits easy for these describe someone who supports marginal- her efforts to ensure that marginalizedwomen to fall through the cracks, ized groups, Pate believes it can fall shortvoices are not only heard but empoweredshe explains.of what true support should look like.to lead the way.She emphasizes that accompliceship isFor Pate, addressing these issues is not about stepping into the struggle andsomething that can be done in isolation. using ones privilege and platform toINCARCERATION ANDOver the years, shes built alliances with directly challenge systems of oppression.ADVOCACY organizations like the Native Womens Its about amplifying the voices of thosePates work on incarceration issues is aAssociation of Canada (NWAC) and most affected, making space for them andkey part of her legacy. Indigenous womenONWA to advocate for systemic change. taking responsibility to act when needed,now make up half of the federal prisonNone of us accomplish anything alone, 38Fall/Winter 2024'