Cold Lake First Nations’ Brooke Metchewais has been preparing to lead her entire life. Now, as Miss Indigenous Canada 2026, she has a national platform to do it.

Husband Chad caught up with Metchewais inside the Cold Lake Energy Centre as Cold Lake First Nations prepared for its powwow grand entry. It was a much different conversation from their previous interview at Lakeland Xtreme Broncs and Bulls — back when she was still pursuing the title.

This time, Metchewais was wearing the crown.

“It feels like a whirlwind, honestly. I feel like I’m still settling into this role,” she said. “It’s been several months of preparation, but I really just talk about the essence that we’ve been preparing for this our whole lives.”

Metchewais said Indigenous people grow up understanding the importance of leadership, community and setting an example for others.

“We’ve been preparing for this idea that we are role models since the beginning,” she said. “We are natural-born leaders, and I think this journey has really helped me extend that out to several communities and not just my own.”

A homecoming through song and dance

Metchewais is from Cold Lake First Nations in Treaty 6 territory, with roots in Saddle Lake Cree Nation and Big Island Lake Cree Nation. She currently lives on the traditional territory of the Stó:lō people.

Returning to Cold Lake gave her an opportunity to reconnect with home while doing what she loves.

“It feels really special to be back here and, of course, doing what I love through song and dance,” she said.

Metchewais is an old-style jingle dress dancer who travels the powwow trail across Turtle Island. She also holds a degree in Sport and Fitness Leadership and works in Indigenous Health Services, where she helps advance culturally safe practices and strengthen relationships with Indigenous communities.

She serves as a board director for a Child and Family Services Society, advocating for Indigenous children and families.

In other words, the crown didn’t suddenly turn her into a leader. It simply gave more people a chance to see the work she was already doing.

More than waving and smiling

Metchewais will hold the Miss Indigenous Canada title for one year before crowning her successor next July.

The national program focuses on community service, leadership development, cultural involvement, youth empowerment and authentic Indigenous representation. For Metchewais, the year ahead will be about much more than attending events and posing for photos.

“This year is just all about community. It’s about development. It’s about leadership,” she said.

Metchewais plans to use her platform to support youth mentorship, knowledge keepers and language keepers while promoting the revitalization of Indigenous culture and language.

“I think it’s really important to uplift our people, revitalize our culture, revitalize our language, but also meet people where they’re at as well,” she said.

She also wants to help communities develop prevention programming and advocate for better funding within child and family services.

“I really do see a gap in child and family services,” Metchewais said. “I hope to be at some tables of politics where I can actually advocate for the proper funding streams that we get for child welfare.”

As Chad pointed out during the interview, being Miss Indigenous Canada clearly involves a little more than waving and smiling. Metchewais intends to roll up her sleeves and use the role to push for meaningful change.

“Believe in yourself”

For young Indigenous girls who see Metchewais wearing the crown and dream of following a similar path, her message is simple.

“Believe in yourself. Believe in yourself. Do not doubt yourself,” she said. “Love yourself through the whole process. Life is too short to compare yourself. Comparison is truly the thief of joy.”

She encouraged young people to concentrate on what they love, what fills their cup and what brings good medicine into their lives.

“Believe in yourself because you can do it, and you are in your own way of your dreams,” she said. “Dream big, and there’s no such thing as a dream that’s too big.”

Ready to roll up her sleeves

While the title will take Metchewais into communities across the country, she said the part she is anticipating most is building genuine relationships with the people she meets.

“One thing that I really want to be a part of is just being in community,” she said. “Being in community, being relational. We are natural relational people as Indigenous people.”

She wants to be present on the ground, helping families and children navigate challenges while connecting them with support and healthy coping mechanisms.

“Being that big sister, being that auntie that I can be to help homes and families and children navigate some challenges, navigate financial challenges and get them on their feet,” she said.

For Brooke Metchewais, Miss Indigenous Canada is not simply a title she will carry for a year. It is an opportunity to carry her community, culture and commitment to service into every room she enters.

The crown may get people’s attention.

What she plans to do while wearing it is the real story.