CAMERON ARMSTRONG

SENIOR PROGRAM SPECIALIST
Treaty 1 Territory (Winnipeg, MB)

As Senior Program Specialist Cameron leads YCL’s From Root to Sky program. She also supports the design of other sparking programs, along with communication campaigns.

Cameron Armstrong (she/her) is a mixed Filipina environmentalist and youth advocate who was born and raised on Treaty 1 Territory in Winnipeg, Manitoba where she is pursuing a Bachelor of Microbiology at the University of Manitoba. She is interested in environmental justice, youth advocacy, water protection, and centring BIPOC youth in climate spaces. She is passionate about community-led solutions that are rooted in anti-oppression and restorative justice.

Cameron has worked on research projects in collaboration and partnership with Lake St. Martin and Dauphin River First Nations to document the effects of environmental racism and work towards community-led solutions rooted in both western and Indigenous science.  Currently, Cameron sits on EarthEcho International’s Youth Leadership Council, an international panel that focuses on ocean and water advocacy, policy, and education. Cameron is also the Manitoba Regional Organizer for Climate Reality Project Canada and also sits on the Consider Climate, Manitoba Steering Committee through this role.

I am a settler from Winnipeg, Manitoba, on Treaty 1 Territory, the ancestral lands of the Anishinaabeg, Ininiwak, Anisininewuk, Dakota Oyate, and the Homeland of the Red River Métis. Though I am based in Winnipeg,  the lands, waters, and relationships connect this area to various parts of Manitoba, including the ancestral lands of the Dene and Inuit.

The name "Winnipeg" comes from the Cree words "win," meaning "muddy," and "nipi," meaning "water." "Manitoba" has Cree and Ojibwe origins, translating to "the narrows of the Great Spirit."

Indigenous Nations have maintained relationships and practices of reciprocity with the lands and waters surrounding Winnipeg for generations, long before the arrival of settlers and the signing of Treaty 1. However, resource exploitation on Treaty 1, 3, and 5, such as the Winnipeg aqueduct and hydro dams, have disproportionately impacted Indigenous Nations for the comfort of settlers in Winnipeg. Environmental justice is inextricably intertwined with Indigenous sovereignty and I am grateful for the environmental leadership and resistance of Indigenous Nations both on Treaty 1 and beyond.