President’s Message Potlatches

Hello everyone. Hoping you are all doing well and the winter has not been too harsh. Wanted to update you on my activities since my last report.

I had a meeting with Jagmeet Singh and Gord Johns with other First Nations. Thanks to Tseshaht First Nation for arranging this meeting. We talked about federal issues. Jagmeet wants to understand our issues and help promote our issues with the Liberal government. I spoke to him about the need for capacity funding for help to do all the work we have to do with Canada.

NTC directors meet once a month to review the work of the executive, give direction for further work and share what their communities are doing. Our meeting for January covered many topics.

I attended the International Marine ProtectedAreas Congress 5 and went to the Indigenous caucus meeting at IMPAC5. We gathered as Indigenous people from around the world the day before the official meetings started to get organized, network and provide some messaging for the forum. There were around 40 recommendations made from our breakout groups on various topics, but some ideas were Governments must recognize Indigenous Peoples as marine stewards.

All governmental and non-governmental partners must recognize that Indigenous leadership is needed to ensure that Indigenous Peoples’perspectives and values are reflected in management objectives.

Indigenous Peoples must be recognized and involved as rights holders in all discussions around oceans protection“nothing about us, without us”.

At IMPAC5, the NTC, Pacheedaht, Haida, Quatsino and DFO had a press conference to announce their agreement to establish a Marine ProtectedArea off the west coast of Vancouver Island and B.C. Canada has legal processes they must follow in order to establish this MPA.As of February 18th that process begins. The regulation to establish the MPAwill be published in the Canada Gazette and the public can comment for 30 days on whether they support this or don’t and why. There will be further processes to follow that will take time. The First Nations will form a management board to help manage this area.

Back in spring of 2021, the chiefs of the FNS, UBCIC and BCAFN asked for an independent evaluation of the health governance structure of FNHA. This includes FNHA, health council, FN directors, regional caucuses and family caucuses. It has been 10 years and the leaders wanted to know what is working and what is not working and what can we do better.

There are concerns that the First Nation rights holders are not being able to direct health in any significant way and must be assured a voice in health as they are the rights holders. The health of our people is very important. The B.C. Minister of HealthAdrian Dix has refused for almost two years to provide us with funding to do this evaluation and the health authority and health council have been opposed to this evaluation, which has not helped for us to get funding. The report called In Plain Sight recommended a health governance review and B.C. committed to implementing these recommendations, but has so far had refused to do this. Be assured the leaders only want to strengthen the health governance structure and in no way want to do away with it.

LEAschool district 70, Local Education Agreement, is being re-negotiated. I have been working with our education manager and First Nations as we change this agreement to be more reflective of First Nations values, UNDRIP and reconciliation. SD70 made some motions about reconciliation at their board meeting but did not talk to First Nations first about what we wanted for reconciliation. That is what reconciliation is about. First Nations are saying what they want made right. We are working to build this kind of respectful relationship with SD70. School district 70 has come a long way in working with First Nations but still need to do more.

The First Nations Summit had a two-day meeting which I attended via Zoom. We explored many topics and all the working groups report out on their activities and several federal and provincial ministers make presentations and answer questions. One interesting motion made was for the summit to engage in tripartite discussions with the governments of Canada and British Columbia to co-develop a draft tripartite nature agreement for consideration by the chiefs. Such an agreement must be consistent with UNDRIP.

As NTC’s health agreement with FNHA is about to expire, we have been Working on a new five-year health agreement. Also been working on the block financial agreement for the eight First Nations who get block funding for their operations.

On Feb. 21 Tseshaht will announce the potential Burial sites in phase one of their work. I have been dreading this day knowing how hard this is going to impact our Nuu-Chah-nulth people and all First Nations who had children at this school. It will prove what we have always known, that many children did not go home. I am so glad I never went to residential school. My mother and other family did. I am glad my children did not go to residential schools, but their father did. I have, like many others, lived with the effects of residential school. My grandchildren will be the first generation that will not have had a parent that went to these schools.And we will ensure there is never another institution like that our children will attend in the future. Our children are our future and will ensure a brighter future for them. We will gather together and lend each other strength and prayers as we deal with this harsh reality of the potential burial sites.

As always, it is my honour to work on behalf of the Nuu-chah-nulth people and look forward to reporting out to you on my activities.

Cloy-e-iis, Judith Sayers

Memorial Potlatch

We are extending an invitation to you and your family to join us as we celebrate the life of our late mother

MARGARET JACK and my perfect late son TREVOR

ANTHONY JACK on May 6, 2023, starting at NOON at the Thunderbird Hall, 1420 Weiwaikum Road, Campbell River. If you have any questions, please message Anita Baker on Facebook or text/call 778-676-1012.

Marcy Keitlah Memorial Potlatch

Sptember 23, 2023

Port Alberni, BC

Your hosts; Calvin Keitlah, Cory Frank, along with Grandparents Marilyn Watts and Rudy Watts Sr.