Revitalizing governance a priority, say chiefs

First Nations leaders from around the province gathered in Saskatoon on March 29 to talk about reforming First Nations governance structures at a conference hosted by the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN).
One attendee was Sakimay First Nation Chief Lynn Acoose, who said she would like to see her own band reverting back to the way they governed themselves before they had their first election under the Indian Act in 1979.

“Our greatest weakness is being under the Indian Act,” Chief Acoose said. “Being under the Indian Act means that we’re accountable to the federal government.”

She said the Indian Act has shaped a type of governance system that causes many First Nations people to chase the power inherent in leadership positions by all means.
“There’s all kinds of ways that we’ve learned these tactics in order to be elected… and that’s a big problem is that we chase power,” she said.

“The old way for selecting our leaders was through a consensus process where people came together and just agreed on who would lead them. I’d like to see us to continue to try to follow that same process so that our election no longer divides us,” she added.

Chief Acoose said there is also a need for First Nations people to have some health and well-being in their lives, which helps in making the right kind of choices about leadership.

FSIN Chief Guy Lonechild agreed that Indian Act elections and band custom elections as they exist have been a real hurdle for development.

“Just money is not the answer but better governance and better wellness for the community is paramount,” he said in a Sage interview.

The aim in governance reform is to eventually separate the business from the politics, he said, where chiefs are not in complete charge of approval when it comes to all the resources and money.

He said that he hopes the chiefs agree for a stronger organization for the right reasons, not for the wrong reasons.

“When I came into office I said I was going to reform the First Nations University, the chiefs agreed and we finally got those changes. And I’m looking to reform the FSIN as well,” Chief Lonechild added. He also encouraged people to vote in provincial and federal elections so First Nations priorities are put foremost and are not simply an afterthought.

Grand Chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Ron Evans, spoke to delegates about his efforts to create a new framework for uniform band elections throughout Manitoba.

Chief Evans said Manitoba First Nations are currently testing out an electoral reform pilot project, which is band governance marked by slight changes. 

Under the revised system, terms of office for band leadership are extended to up to four years from the usual two years. As well, they are attempting to have band elections for all First Nations in Manitoba on the same day and improve the process for mail-in ballots.
“It takes anywhere between 3-5 years to actually get a shovel in the ground,” he said. “We believe this will get support after the election so when it does change it’s going to be major. It’s going to allow the business community and others to be able to invest in our communities,” he added.

When asked if it’s possible to form strong First Nations governance without working on healing communities and leaders first from colonization effects such as addictions and residential school impacts, Chief Evans said it is possible.

“It’s difficult to work with communities that don’t have stable leadership,” he said.

“You’ve got to build on a foundation of stability. So once you’ve done that, then you can put plans in place whether it’s health, education, social. And that allows for healing to bloom. It allows for people to start seeing that there is hope, without hope there can be no healing,” he added.

The FSIN represents 74 First Nations communities across Saskatchewan with the mandate of protecting, promoting, and implementing treaty promises made over a century ago.