IAA leader keeps lines open to people he serves

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PEOPLE

The Indian Association of Alberta's youngest ever President, Gregg Smith, 37, vows to be a leader who's in touch with his people.

Smith explains, "I think it's important to have personal contact with people because it helps to develop relations with them. I try to get out to communities (rather than) being an administrator and sitting in an office or flying around the country all the time."

In the past year, he has been to every reserve in Alberta at least once and says now the rotation will start again. Only when a community can't be reached by vehicle from centrally-located Edmonton, where his office is situated, will Smith charter a plane for a trip.

Smith still calls the Peigan reserve, where he was born, his home. IN fact, he owns a house on the reserve and his family, wife Karen and their two children Gregory Lee and Kristen, still live in Peigan. Smith admits it gets "tough" at times, because he's separated from his family, but he plans to move them to a reserve closer to Edmonton. He won't move them into the city though, simply because he has always lived on a reserve.

Politics entered Smith's life in 1979 when he ran for Peigan council. He later became Treaty 7 board member and ran for the IAA vice-president position in 1982. Presidency followed three years later.

Because Smith is the youngest president in IAA history, is there a new generator of ideas he'd like to instill in his supports?

There have been some changes, such as the hiring of political advisors, which keep him informed and on top of issues. And, he also made sure an executive director was hired to manage administrative duties, so he wouldn't be tied up in the office.

"A politician's duty is to set policies. You can't do that if you don't get out into the communities and listen to the people."

However, Smith believes "the direction that older leaders have taken in the past still has a huge impact on the direction I take."

A major concern of Smith's is that Indian people are becoming more and more divided, through government manipulation.

Smith explains: "In the past seven or eight years a lot of the blame for issues has been switched from the government over to the chief and council. And, I don't see why. Band members want to see things done on a community level. But, in a lot of cases, it's not the chief and council who are at fault. The federal government is not ensuring that people are supplied with the necessary resources to look after their needs. The chief and council only administer what resources they receive."

Explaining the direction the IAA will take, he asserts: "I'd like to see the IAA continue to be strong and be the political force in this province as it was in the late 60's and early 70's . . . I want to get that back. And, I think we're going to have to start getting back together as Indian people in a united front, in terms of dealing with the issues and not being arms of the federal government when tackling issues. The feds are continually trying the old 'divide and conquer' tactics with us and that breaks up unity."

Smith feels the most important issue to undertake is education because the government is making restraining cutbacks in this area. When asked about band controlled education, he replied, "I wouldn't advise any bands to look at band controlled education simply because there are no guarantees beyond the first term of agreement that finances will continue to be provided."

Bill C-31 has been a hot topic in Indian country in the past year. But the June 28 deadline for band membership codes has passed and Smith views the bill as a mistake because bands didn't have any input into it and had little time to deal with it.

Bill C-31 effectively gave Indian rights to a number of reinstated Natives. But, Smith says this was wrong because the government did not give Alberta band resources to deal with the overflow of added band members.

With all the pressure that comes from being the top man, Smith gais strength from his one and a half year stint in the RCMP to combat stress that comes with the job.

"My RCMP days taught me discipline. I never had to go to any special program to deal with stress. I deal with it in my own way. Whether it's getting away from the office for a couple of hours, playing golf or going to a movie in the evening."

Smith also goes to rodeos to relax and sometimes even tries his hand at events he formerly competed in his "rodeo days" ? the steer wrestling and team roping events.

"Rodeo is part of my blood. I enjoy it," he says with certainty. Certainty that the Indian people of Alberta can rely on.