The Governance Agreement with the Government of Canada will remove Anishinabek member First Nations from the election provisions of the Indian Act. It will position Anishinabek First Nations to set longer terms of office for Chiefs and Councils. The two-year maximum term of office under the Indian Act is not long enough to fulfill long-term goals and visions. Through the Governance Agreement, member First Nations will determine who can run for Council and what qualifications they require to be the best candidates to fill these important roles. Other governments who do not understand the individual needs of each First Nation will no longer have any direction or input. Through the citizenship laws recognized in the Governance Agreement, First Nations will determine who their citizens will be and what their citizens’ responsibilities will be.
A key focus of the Governance Agreement is the revitalization and preservation of Anishinaabemowin, Algonquin and Lenape. Currently, INAC does not provide funding to support initiatives that help restore the use of Anishinabek languages and traditional practices in the workplace. There will now be funding in the Governance Agreement to accomplish this important work that will strengthen cultural knowledge today and secure it for the next seven generations.
It’s a known fact that colonialism has created disparity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations. As long as Anishinabek continue to be governed under the Indian Act, the unique needs and priorities of each First Nation will not be addressed and the gaps will only continue to grow. The imposition of other government laws encourage dependency on those governments and only fulfill their priorities. The Governance Agreement will build the platform for member First Nations to improve conditions for their citizens, while also strengthening the Anishinabek voice in Nation-to-Nation discussions.
The Anishinabek member First Nations have never relinquished any authority to other governments such as Canada. Although member First Nations have maintained that they are their own government, they are not recognized as such in Nation-to-Nation affairs. Through the Governance Agreement, other governments will recognize member First Nations and the Anishinabek Nation as individual governments with legal status parallel to the federal and provincial governments.
The member First Nations that ratify the Governance Agreement, will make up the Anishinabek Nation Government; the Anishinabek Nation secretariat – the Union of Ontario Indians, will continue to advocate on behalf of all Anishinabek Nation citizens.