Dr. Stanley Vollant

Dr. Stanley Vollant, the first Innu surgeon in Quebec, has worked to inspire and help Indigenous youth to fulfill their dreams, including embarking on a 6,000 km walk to bring Indigenous peoples together and foster cross-cultural understanding in Canada.

Vollant was born in 1965 in Québec City and raised by his grandparents in the village of Pessamit in the North Shore region of Québec. He spoke Innu and learned a love of the land from his trapper grandfather. He learned French when he started school and excelled in his studies and sports. He studied medicine at the Université de Montréal and finished his residency in general surgery in 1994. He began his work at the regional hospital in Baie-Comeau, Québec where he became known for his innovative work, particularly with laparoscopic surgery and lectured in many schools.

Despite his professional success, Vollant fell into a deep depression. He eventually found a remedy in reconnecting with the Earth while traveling in New Zealand. In 2008, while walking the famous Santiago de Compostela route in Spain, he had a dream of his grandfather telling him to start a similar walk in Canada to help connect Indigenous communities and inspire Indigenous youth. In 2010, he began his 6,000 km Innu Meshkenu (My Innu Path) from Labrador through Québec and Ontario, speaking at schools and bringing Elders and youth together along the way. In 2016, he founded the Puamun Meshkenu (path of a thousand dreams), a non-profit organization with the goal of inspiring and supporting Indigenous individuals on their way to developing their full mental, spiritual, physical and emotional potential.