Leaders of the future unite

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Future leaders from across the country will be gathering in Winnipeg next spring to take part in a unique and exciting hands-on learning experience.

Participants drawn from business, labour, government, acadamia and communities from across the country will come together to take part in the Governor General's Canadian Leadership Conference, which will begin on May 7, 2004, and wrap up in Ottawa-Gatineau on May 21.

The 225 conference participants will be divided into 15 diverse study groups. Each study group will travel to a different part of the country where they will spend two weeks learning about the communities in that area. At the end of the two weeks, the groups will make a report to the Governor General on their observations and experiences.

The leadership conferences began as the Governor General's Canadian Study Conference in 1983, inspired by the success of the Commonwealth Study Conference, an international conference founded by the Duke of Edinburgh in 1956. The Canadian conferences have been held every four years since their inception.

The name was changed for the upcoming conference to put more of a focus on the leadership-building function of the event.

Over the years, a number of people have taken part who have gone on to use what they experienced to their benefit and to the benefit of their communities. Bernd Christmas is the chief executive officer of the Membertou Development Corporation. He took part in the International Commonwealth Study Conference in 1998.

"I guess I was asked to participate by several folk, and understanding the nature of it, which involves various study groups, and you meet up-and-coming leaders, both in the government, private sector and NGO level, as well as the labour movement, I thought it would be an excellent opportunity to get a well-rounded understanding of how all those people think, and where they're going, and make some great contacts. And sure enough, I did," Christmas said.

"At that time, our city was Montreal, and so we had to learn all the facets of Montreal. We met with folks that have helped in promoting the city of Montreal. We met with some big businesses, such as Bombardier, Bell Helicopter. We also met with the social services side, people trying to deal with affordable housing, people running the health care system, all the hospitals in Montreal, the port authority. So it was very interesting, and I guess a knowledge-soaking-up-experience that I'll never forget. I thought it was fantastic."

Christmas explained that he benefited from his involvement in the conference on both a personal and professional level, and that he has been able to pass those benefits on to his community.

"I definitely know it has given me a more rounded experience, and makes me think in a bigger context. Meaning not just thinking about my community ... I think about how Membertou plays a role in Canada, or outside of Canada, and I think bringing all those experiences and all that knowledge back has helped me as CEO of the band. It made my job a lot easier, and made our community more exposed to the outside forces that are constantly pounding on our doors. And our community, fortunately, has embraced that, and therefore it's made it a lot easier," he said.

"I think from there, just the personal knowledge, the contacts, and how they've been able to help both on a personal level and a professional level, it gives you other ideas that you would never normally think of. For example, Membertou is involved with some big, large partners in the world, bidding to supply 28 helicopters. Would we have ever thought of that? No, we would not have thought of that if I had never been exposed, or others in our organization weren't exposed to the global forces that are impacting on our community."

In addition to being a conference alumni, Bernd Christmas is a member of the conference executive, and is involved in developing the event coming up next year.

"I'm pretty excited about the act that, being an Aboriginal person, that there's going to be 15 study groups and we've already been able to solidify at least one member of Indigenous origin to be in each group. So we'll have a guaranteed 15 people involved."

While this isn't the first time there have been that many Aboriginal people participating in the conference, it is the first time a specific effort has been made to guarantee Aboriginal inclusion.

"This time there is a solid commitment to do that, and that's what's making my life very exciting," he said.

But the Aboriginal content of the conference doesn't stop there, Christmas added. The opening session of the conference will feature a showcase of Aboriginal culture, and organizers are working to line up a prominent Aboriginal leader to speak at the event.

"I know the various committees across the country that are dealing with each province and region are trying to make sure that the study groups themselves will be exposed to First Nations. And that's sort of my mantra, to make sure that happens."

By participating in the conference, people can gain experiences and knowledge they're not likely to be exposed to anywhere else, Christmas explained.

"Whether you're Native or non-Native, I think it will give you amazing insight into how diverse and global Canada really is. The way I always look at it, the world comes to you in these various study groups, and to meet all kinds of Canadians from different backgrounds, and being exposed to different communities in Canada, whether you're going to a Native community or Metis community or the city of Winnipeg or you're going to the city of Montreal. There's just so much that's out there that you would never be able to do if you had to do it on your own. It just doesn't happen. The line-up of folks that they introduce you to, and the companies and the government folks that they introduce you to, you know, you could never do that unless you were yourself, personally, highly connected with all thos sectors. So I think that's probably the most exciting thing, is just the getting to know how truly big Canada is and how diverse it is, and all the different cultural backgrounds that are there. And how important it is that First Nations are a part of this all, and how Canada embraces our people."

The deadline for applying to be a participant in the Governor General's Canadian Leadership Conference is Nov. 1. For more information, visit the conference Web site at www.leadership2004.ca.