LNG leader: Haisla Nation Chief Councillor Crystal Smith on the world’s first Indigenous project – Todayville

May 17, 2024

Growing up in the 1980s, Crystal Smith felt supported and nourished by her community, the Haisla Nation along the shores of Kitimat, British Columbia. But at the same time, she also sensed the outside world had placed some limitations on her future.

“I enjoyed a wonderful childhood with a solid foundation and lots of love, especially from my grandma Cecilia Smith. She raised me because I lost my mother and stepdad at a young age. But it wasn’t popular to be Indigenous when I grew up,” says Smith.

“A lot of people would talk about how Indigenous people were not expected to be successful. That kind of talk really affected my confidence about what I could be.”

Smith, now the Haisla Nation’s elected chief councillor, never wants children in her community to feel those constraints.

Read More: https://www.todayville.com/lng-leader-haisla-nation-chief-councillor-crystal-smith-on-the-worlds-first-indigenous-project/