Divided Power: How Federalism Undermines Reconciliation

Emily Grafton grew up primarily in Winnipeg's inner city. While studying political science and women's studies at the University of Winnipeg, she became politicized and volunteered for various inner-city organizations. Grafton received a masters in public administration (University of Manitoba) and subsequently worked in provincial politics at the Manitoba Legislative Assembly. While pursuing a PhD in Native Studies (University of Manitoba), she worked for the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, the Newberry Consortium of American Indian Studies and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. In these roles, Grafton was trained in decolonial politics and Indigenous-centred research. As a citizen of the Métis Nation, these politics of settler-based dispossession shaped her family life as well as her scholarship. With her husband, also a citizen of the Métis Nation, she is raising two children. As an associate professor of politics and international studies at the University of Regina, Grafton teaches courses on Indigenous rights, reconciliation, feminism and gender politics, international relations, and Canadian government. Her research program is community-driven, and she works with local non-profits in Regina. She is the faculty lead for the Saskatchewan Electoral Parity Project and is a member of the Canadian Political Science Association's Board and Reconciliation Committee.