Chief Crystal Smith: ‘Instead of managing poverty, we are now managing prosperity’

Chief Crystal Smith, leader of the Haisla Nation in B.C., received the 2025 Testimonial Dinner Award on April 24 in Toronto. Chief Crystal led the development of Cedar LNG, the world’s first Indigenous majority-owned LNG project, and a model of economic reconciliation.

Here is her acceptance speech:

First, congratulations to my fellow honourees. I’m beyond grateful to receive the honour surrounded by so many new and old friends and colleagues. And thank you for giving me a little taste of what it would have felt like if I became an actual basketball star. 

Tonight, as I accept the honour, I would like to speak about my purpose and what drives me. When the PPF Media team asked me if I was comfortable with them using an image, I had to chuckle a little bit as I totally forgot that I posed for that photo. But after I said go for it, I got to thinking about basketball and how the sport has played a pivotal part in my life. 

Not ever thinking I was on some trajectory to WNBA greatness, although I did have dreams, but as an outlet, an important one for a young Indigenous girl faced with poverty on a daily basis, trauma and the grim reality that her future was limited. 

Every time I hit the court surrounded by young women from my community, time stood still. We hustled, we cheered, we took risky shots, we missed some, and we made some and we laughed. We could do anything on that court. We were giants. And when the buzzer went off, my heart rate slowed down, I was brought back to reality. You can never imagine in my wildest dreams did I think I would be standing in this room tonight among so many distinguished and successful Canadians accepting this honour, so thank you. 

Now back to the purpose and what really drives me. It is certainly not getting awards and being recognized. What drives me is seeing hope for my community and so many others as we make real action in driving change for Indigenous people in this country. Not in accordance with some set of principles and guidance from government, a measuring stick for how a country is achieving its reconciliation targets but based on our drive to have our own share, our own future, designed by us and rooted in our traditions.

I do have fond memories of my childhood. When we were poor we never felt that way. We were rich in love and care, bestowed on me and my twin sister by our grandparents and our elders. We celebrated our traditions, we heard our language being spoken in our home, we ate traditional food. We felt rich because of this. 

But we were poor. We experienced poor health and suicides and the terrible side effects of living in poverty. There were not many opportunities for young people or young women like me. We did not have big dreams for our future. I recall being 11 or 12 years old, walking by our band office on my way to school. The only jobs I believed at the time I could have were a janitor or working as an assistant in our band office. It certainly wasn’t becoming chief or a professional basketball player. 

Rather, we looked across the channel from our village, where the aluminum smelter was the main employer, an industry that came into our territory, took what they wanted and gave back very little, if at all, in terms of benefits. Some were lucky to get a job at the smelter, but unemployment in our village remained high. Our community now is experiencing an incredible reversal of fortune. A little less than a year ago, on June 25, 2024, we made history. It was the date we announced a positive final investment decision on Cedar LNG, the world’s first Indigenous, majority-owned LNG facility. And only the third ever to be approved and under construction today. 

Instead of managing poverty, we are now managing prosperity. The position we find ourselves in is because of hard-fought battles of my predecessors, and because of the incredible support we’ve received from all levels of government, and the advocacy of the Public Policy Forum and institutions like it. We now have the revenues to help our people on our own terms, in a way that reconnects them to their culture and traditions. We are building critical community infrastructure, from housing to schools to daycares, health-care facilities and eldercare facilities. We are training our people with the skills needed to secure meaningful family-supporting jobs, and be meaningful contributors to the Canadian economy. It means an 11- or 12-year-old girl walking school in our village can dream big in terms of careers and opportunities.

I’m sorry, this always gets to me. I have two daughters and grandsons at home, and I think of them, and I think of them walking to school, and how large they can dream today. Because of the great privilege I’ve had to serve my community, I recognize perhaps more vividly than ever what my true purpose on this great earth is. 

As I look ahead knowing that as a mother and a grandmother that my family and other Haisla families have hope for a healthy and fulfilling future, I want to turn my attention to helping others achieve the same success we have. When I hear about the current election platforms and hear others speak about the need to build a national energy program, while I believe it is the right thing to do, Indigenous people must be included in the national discussions about our energy future. To do so, we need business leaders, government, advocacy groups like the PPF and others to come together to recognize the incredible value of partnering with Indigenous communities as owners.

As we develop the policies and visions that our political leaders are campaigning on, we must ensure they are inclusive and bold. The people in this room have the power to turn the tide. Let’s not limit our beliefs on what we can achieve. Let’s build a bright and prosperous future for every Canadian and every Indigenous person that wants to be involved, because change never happens inside of our comfort zones, or the defensive zone. 

I still play basketball today when time permits and my knees and shoulder allow me, and I must say that while I still enjoy getting out onto the court and fostering my illusions of basketball greatness, what I am finding now is that I now enjoy watching our younger generations take part in the sport. The exhilaration I felt as a young girl is still there, although time no longer has to stand still. The difference is when we come off the court today inside the Haisla recreation center, our reality is so much more hopeful than the generations before. 

Let’s make it so for every other Indigenous person in this country. Thank you.

Hear from more 2025 honourees:

• Steve Paikin, renowned journalist and longtime host of The Agenda on TVO, winner of the 2025 Hyman Solomon Award for public interest journalism 
• Alfred Burgesson, founder and CEO of Tribe Network, winner of the 2025 Emerging Leader Award
• Elizabeth Dowdeswell, the longest-serving lieutenant-governor of Ontario
• Marc-André Blanchard, Executive Vice-President of CDPQ Global and former diplomat
• Anil Arora, former chief statistician at Statistics Canada