Aaron Pete, a 30-year-old lawyer and podcaster, is the chief of Chawathil First Nation near Hope, B.C., leading efforts to lift his community out of poverty with replicable strategies.
Elected in July 2025 after serving on council since 2022, Pete brings a grounded, pragmatic approach to governance. His background includes a law degree from UBC, advocacy for free speech, and a popular podcast, Nuanced with Aaron Pete, where he engages in long-form discussions with leaders across Canada’s political and Indigenous spectrums.
Building Sustainable Futures in Chawathil
Pete’s leadership focuses on tangible improvements for his community. By the end of his three-year term, he aims to deliver proper housing, a new child care centre, upgraded water and sewage systems, and economic development initiatives like a potential hotel to create local jobs.
Using Indigenous Services Canada funding—approximately $168,000 per household—his council has already upgraded 45 of 89 homes, addressing issues like mould, roof repairs, and secure emergency exits. Reserve housing, long exempt from provincial building codes, is now a priority for Pete’s administration.
A Voice for Nuanced Discourse
Through his podcast, Pete challenges divisive rhetoric, prioritizing curiosity and complexity over outrage. He believes unchallenged ideas fuel poor policy and harm communities, a perspective shaped by his upbringing. Raised by a single Indigenous mother with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, he carries the intergenerational impacts of residential schools and the Sixties Scoop.
His commitment to practical governance and open dialogue marks a shift in Indigenous leadership, one focused on solutions rather than confrontation.
