Priorities for this Term

1. Language Revitalization

In the Annuity Settlement it was agreed that $255M be set aside for language promotion and retention. It is vitally important that we have a voice to determine how that money will be spent to maximize benefits to our Nation.

2. Addictions Strategy

Addictions and drug use have reached unprecedented levels worldwide. Combatting this issue has been challenging but we must undertake a comprehensive review of our strategies and come up with new ideas and solutions to deal with these issues. Prevention also needs to be escalated to avoid more of our people falling into the perils of addictions.

3. Land Negotiations

Over the last year Nipissing has begun negotiations with Ontario for land compensation for our Boundary Claim. We have done much work so far and are close to completing a very successful settlement. This work needs to continue without interruption.

4. RHT Annuities Going Forward

Now that we have settled a landmark agreement for past compensation, we must set our sights on the “Go Forward” annuity amount. This work also needs continuity to negotiate a fair settlement for NFN.

5. Bill C-53, Métis and AOO Assertions in Our Territory

This is an ongoing fight with both levels of government and it is crucial to ensure NFN’s traditional territory that is protected under the Robinson Huron Treaty of 1850 is protected against false claims of organizations such as the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) and the Algonquins of Ontario (AOO).

6. NFN Legacy Fund

Over the coming months it will be vitally important that we decide on the details on the management and investments of our communal funds. A series of public consultation meetings must occur in order for us to move forward in an inclusive and transparent way.

7. Citizenship Law

In 2018 NFN signed the Anishinabek Nation Governance Agreement. This agreement between the participating AN FNs and Canada recognized our authority and jurisdiction to make our own lawns in the four areas of Governance, Elections, Language and Culture and Citizenship. Currently our citizenship is determined by the federal government under the Indian Act which was designed to legislate us out of existence as a First Nation. By creating our own laws regarding NFN citizenship we can ensure our future generations will carry on our bloodlines and nationhood in perpetuity. In 2022 under the current leadership we struck up our Citizenship Law committee to undertake one of our most critical laws since the imposition of the Indian Act. The work done so far has fleshed out the core values of our law through a series of public consultation meetings. Although there is much work left to be completed, based on what we have heard so far our Citizenship Law will be based on a “one parent” rule. It is vitally important that this work continues without interruption.

Transcript of scott's candidate's Night speech - June 19th

Aanin!

Experience and strong leadership is what I have to offer - over 12 years of experience in a political leadership role.

Starting in 2003, I was first elected as a Council Member for NFN. At that time, I took on the Natural Resource portfolio which centered around the poor state of walleye populations and the need to properly manage our commercial fishing activities as well as to hold the provincial government accountable for their role in the management of Lake Nipissing.

In 2015, I was elected by you to be Chief of NFN. At this time, we were faced with an even further deteriorated walleye population to a point of near collapse. There was an urgent need to implement swift measures to reverse this downward trend of the fishery. As a result, in 2015 we entered into an MOU (Memorandum of Agreement) with Ontario outlining our rights and jurisdictions over the fishery and the roles and responsibilities of both the province and NFN in regard to the management of Lake Nipissing. Since then, under my leadership, we have reversed the declining populations and brought the fishery to a healthy state. This has directly translated into a healthy fishery that not only increased commercial catches for our members, but also dramatically increased opportunities for recreational fishing opportunities for all our member families. This work must continue with strong experience and leadership in order to keep our lake healthy and provide for us as it has done since time immemorial.

In December 2019 we were taken by surprise and hit with a new infectious disease we all know today as COVID-19. Unlike anything we have experienced in our time, this pandemic brought us into unchartered waters. With the tireless work of our expert health staff and strong, experienced leadership we managed to navigate through some of the most stressful times our community had ever experienced in recent memory. But, with our professional staff and strong leadership, we kept our community safe. We developed safety protocols, provided financial assistance, increased our food security, expedited access to all vaccines and communicated all pandemic updates in real time. There was, and perhaps still is, much debate over the severity of the pandemic and measures that were put in place, however, there is no question of the ability for NFN to respond to any emergency situation because of our well-trained, hardworking staff and strong experienced leadership.

During the three years of COVID, our work continued seamlessly. In April of 2021, we signed the Anishinabek Nation Governance Agreement, also known as ANGA. This agreement took jurisdiction and law-making authority over 4 key areas out of the archaic Indian Act and into the jurisdiction of NFN. These areas include: culture and language, band operation, elections and last but certainly not least, citizenship. Since then, we have increased our programming and budgets to provide additional staffing and increased language-learning opportunities for on and off reserve members as well as created staff positions for Governance coordination to do the necessary work.

We have also struck up a Citizenship Committee to develop our own NFN Citizenship Law that will replace the Indian Act “Band list”. We are now in control of our membership list and soon our law will be in place. This law will be based on a one parent rule rather than the 6.1/6.2 Indian act rule designed to legislate our Nishnaabeg citizens out of existence and assimilate us into the generalized population of Canada. This work is vital to our Nation’s future and requires strong and experienced leadership to see it through to completion.

As I have already mentioned, we have expanded our language programs in order to increase our language speakers and promote language retention at all age levels at NFN. Our committed staff work tirelessly on behalf of our Nation, and it is of vital importance that our leadership continue to support their efforts. In May of this year the Robinson Huron Chiefs earmarked $255M to go towards Language retention in our 21 First Nations. It is extremely important that we maintain oversight and input into how and where this money is spent.

In 2013, NFN settled our boundary claim with the federal government for the sum of $124M. At that time the province refused to come to the table to discuss a claim settlement with NFN. Since then, we have succeeded in getting Ontario to the table to negotiate a settlement that will see our reserve lands practically double in size. We are getting close to completing the necessary work needed in this negotiation process and it is important to ensure we have uninterrupted momentum to maximize the benefits that our Nation is rightfully entitled to.

There is no question that NFN is plagued with a drug addiction epidemic. However, this problem is not unique to NFN but rather it is a world-wide epidemic. The unfortunate truth about this problem is that there is no silver bullet solution. But addiction research continues, and progress is being made every day with new methods of treatment constantly evolving. But what do we do here and now? I believe we need to do a comprehensive review of our current practices and determine what practices are working and which practices aren’t. From this comprehensive review we can start to develop a new drug strategy which builds on our successes while moving away from the practices that have not worked. We need to involve all the department services that have a role to play in the recovery process, not just the health department and police. We need to consult with community for their ideas and input on these issues which are putting our families at risk. We need to draw on the experiences of those who are recovering and just as importantly, we need to consult with those who are afflicted and currently suffering to find out how we can support them. Lastly, we need to invest more at the front end of this problem and increase our prevention programs. We must create more safe spaces for our youth where we can offer them stability and healthy choices that they might not be finding at home. We need to have counselling services for our vulnerable youth to deal with their trauma before those issues turn into addiction issues.

Recently, as you all know, we have settled a landmark court case of the Robinson Huron Annuities Claim for $10B. This work did not happen overnight and involved many hard-working individuals including Mike Restoule, the Litigation Management Committee, the litigation team at Nawegaabo Corbiere, and all the Elder and expert witnesses. But we cannot forget the 21 chiefs of the RHT of 1850 who played a huge collective role in reaching this settlement from the very start of this case. Without this leadership this settlement would not have been possible. I am extremely proud to be one of those chiefs. Since 2015 when I first became chief of Nipissing, I evolved as a leader among leaders and played a key role amongst the 21 Chiefs to help navigate us through to a negotiated settlement. Now, with the experience gained through that process, I truly believe I have the knowledge and skills to continue to do the work needed to successfully negotiate a settlement on the “go forward” now that the past compensation settlement has been achieved.

This is merely a glimpse of the work I do to improve the lives of our members both on and off. In addition, I currently sit on the AFN National Fisheries committee as well as their Chiefs Committee on Charter Renewal, I sit on the Board of Directors for the APS and I have been appointed by the 133 Chiefs of the COO as spokesperson to fight back against false Metis claims in our collective territories. I am the appointed Chair the Board at B’Maakonigan which is the supporting body of the FNs signatured to the ANGA, and in the last 2 weeks, I have once again been appointed by the Chiefs of the Huron Region of the Anishinabek Nation to be their Regional Chief. These appointments are recognition of experience, hard work and strong leadership and I am very proud of that, but make no mistake, when they choose me, they are also choosing Nipissing First Nation to lead them because that is who I represent no matter where I go, and we can ALL be proud of that.

In closing, it is no secret that the last few years have been difficult for our First Nation as well as all the First Nations of the RHT. I am extremely proud of the difficult work our Council has done because anyone can make easy decisions, but it takes strong leadership to make the difficult ones and to stand behind those decisions. We are a great Nation, and we do great things. We continue to be leaders of FNs from coast to coast to coast. There has not been one assembly, meeting or conference that I have attended where we have not been known or mentioned in a positive light and THAT, my friends, is something we can all be proud of. Being Chief of Nipissing has and will always be the highest honour bestowed upon me.

Miigwech