Boozhoo, Aaniin Kina Waya/Citizens of the Anishinabek Nation
After 24 years, the negotiations with Canada for the Anishinabek Nation Governance Agreement are now officially complete. Canada’s Crown and Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett and I met on Friday, August 23, 2019, in the Baawaating Traditional Territory (Sault Ste. Marie) to initial off the final draft of the Governance Agreement. It has been a very long time coming; I encourage you to take a very serious review of what this new era of possibility presents.
I am pleased to tell you that the updated vote period for the Anishinabek Nation Governance Agreement will be from February 1 to February 29, 2020. You will receive further information on the voting options in the Notice of Vote, which will be available prior to the start of the vote period.
Our Anishinabek Nation leaders requested the later date than what may have been previously targeted so that you, the citizens, can have additional time to learn more about the Anishinabek Nation Governance Agreement and what it will mean for you. Please take advantage of the information sessions that are happening throughout the Anishinabek territory so you are well informed on the agreement, the opportunity and the possibilities!
The Governance Negotiation Team has been meeting with Chiefs and Councils to inform them about the Governance Agreement and seek a Band Council Resolution (BCR) authorizing a vote. The deadline for BCRs is October 18, 2019. If you’re not sure whether your First Nation Leadership has submitted a BCR you can go to governancevote.ca or follow up with your Chief and Council.
As a citizen of the Anishinabek First Nations you have an integral, vital role and responsibility to consider this opportunity before you; to consider the real potential of restoring authority and responsibility back to community by creating your own election law with leadership criteria, creating new or enhancing and strengthening existing governance processes, and creating citizenship, language and culture laws.
It is not a complicated opportunity. Many communities are advancing their governance systems and processes to respond to the ever-changing challenges in the world we live in today. The Anishinabek Nation Governance Agreement is a mechanism that will established recognized authority at the community level and beyond and ensureaccountability rests with you and no one else as it relates to your recognized law- making powers in the four areas of which this agreement provides.
The Anishinabek Nation Governance Agreement provides a rare opportunity for recognition of your community law-making authority in the following key areas:
Elections and Governance: No matter your current method of doing elections for your leadership – Indian Act, Custom Codes, or Federal First Nations Elections Act – the Anishinabek Nation Governance Agreement presents a mechanism for change that we have not seen in our lifetime, or our parents lifetime. The authority to determine your own election law and determine stronger governance systems would rest with you and your community, no one else.
Citizenship Law: This has long been a tremendous concern for your leadership, community, and families. Even with the recently announced changes to the Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada Indian registration system, there is still the underlying intent by the state to eliminate status Indians and achieve assimilation. Many of our Anishinaabe children who are deemed ineligible for status are a part of our future generations and as such, we need to prepare to include all our children within our citizenship. Our blood flows through family, not federal legislation. We must determine who belongs to our community, not Canada. This opportunity is now before us to do just that.
Language Law: Significant effort is underway to reclaim, restore and revitalize Anishinabemowin (language), filling the void that was imposed on our people by government policy and interference. We take pride in our effort today. Creating community laws for language presents a greater opportunity to build on this effort to ensure Anishinabemowin is not in peril.
Cultural Laws: Reclaiming and proudly embracing our Anishinaabe ideal and restoring our way of knowing, our way of doing; our very identity as a proud Anishinaabe is absolutely fundamental to our future. We need to strengthen our cultural attachment, if this is aided through law-making as determined by community, then it will be a welcome and timely commitment to ensure a solid future as Anishinaabe.
Could embracing the responsibility of creating our own laws we recognize and adhere to, have the added benefit of fostering hope? Hope is an absolute necessity to overcome the level of despair, apathy, and disunity that appears to be gaining ground. The cost of doing nothing is significant. There are no other alternatives that anyone is advancing beyond the status quo.
We need to restore our governance systems to what they were meant to be – our systems and processes drew their strength and unity from the people in an organized way – we can do this again – restoring elements that were once the foundation of vibrant and effective decision-making protocols.
There will be a significant amount of work ahead, of that there is no doubt. We need to believe in ourselves enough to organize our building blocks now so our future leaders have a foundation to attach their incredible capacity and capability to.
From February 1 – 29 2020, the choice is yours to make.
I encourage you to visit www.governancevote.ca. There is a toll-free Governance Agreement Information Line available if you wish to speak to someone directly. The toll- free number is 1-833-297-9850.