Election 2012 Speeches

Nominated Councillor Candidate Speech - Jane Sam

Good afternoon!! Elders, youth, my family, you are all my Family, we are all related somehow.

My name is Jane Sam, I am running for Council.

My parents are Nick & Pauline Sam and my grandparents are Nick & Ann Peters from Port Douglas and Johnny & Matilda Sam from Skatin.

I have been on Council since February 2000; I was voted into the band in Dec 1999 and have worked with the Douglas band since 1996.

My concerns are Housing - I have tried to live at home in my trailer, at the Spring Creek Logging camp cabin, and also tried to live with my Auntie Jeanette and Ron Peters in Tipella, we need more housing for our members who want to live at home and also for staff who work for us.

I'd like to see a Community Building built to house a fitness centre, health, policing.

I'd also like to see that the Mount Currie office shut down and to have our Tipella office up and running as our main office, the office in Mission is mainly for Education, IRA and a communications office for members who live in the Fraser Valley.

I'd like for us to have more Community Based workshops so that we all work together and are on the same page.

We as Council have also been working on protecting our monies from the IPPs and BC Hydro; One of my main goals I'd like to see the other IPP projects start up, and I'd like to see that we continue to protect the monies for our grandkids and great grandkids, and they are our future leaders who will take over after we are gone.

Thank you for listening.

I am here for you!!


Nominated Councillor Candidate Speech - Marilyn Ryan

 

Greetings Elders, Fellow Council Members, Douglas Members and Youth: I am pleased and honored to step forward and seek your support to run for the Xa'xtsa Council Election 2012.

  • I am "Leelock" which translates to "The Woman of The Lillooet"; I was named after my great grandmother Marilyn Charlie, wife of Chief Anatole Charlie; my father is from Mt. Currie, he is the late Norman Jack Gabriel Sr. and my mother is the late Victoria Agnes Gabriel (nee Charlie) from Xa'xtsa. I was born by the bend in the river (Lillooet River) Kakawa in the winter of 1953.
  • I have one remaining biological child, Vicki Newman; Vicki was named after my mother Victoria (but I shortened to Vicki); Vicki's husband is Curtis Newman of Cheam where they live; my grandson is Herbie Hanuse and he also lives in Cheam. I have one deceased son, Reginald Ronald Thompson Jr.; my children are of Stolo and Stl'atl'imx ancestry. For the last thirteen years my family includes my partner Raymond (Dooley) Gregoire and my step-daughter, Lynn Gregoire; Dooley and Lynn are from the Okanagan Nation Band near Vernon, BC. Dooley and I also have many adopted brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, nieces & nephews & grandchildren all over Turtle Island; we have been very blessed.
  • I have been living in Cache Creek since 2007 where I work for the Bonaparte Indian Band as a Drug & Alcohol Counselor. This is very rewarding and healing work for me as I am a recovering alcoholic who has experienced the trauma of residential school and sexual abuse; the job that I do reinforces the tools that I have gained in striving to be a healthier person. I have worked in the field of helping since 1997.
  • I have been working on myself, my issues since 1994, but there is always more to do and learn about self for the rest of my life - healing is a journey and not a destination - this is what I have learned.
  • I was elected to council in a bi-election on Sept. 11, 2010.
  • I gained a lot in my short term on council both personally and professionally; more specifically - in a short period of time, I applied myself on Council to learn a leadership role, to better understand business and financial management, investment, to better understand community development and Indian Affairs policy while juggling my work schedule to make it to every Council and community meeting.
  • I have also gained insight into the machinations of operating an organization and administration; the process is not as cut and dried as I had assumed that it would be; I understand better what "consensus" is in the representation of people. I understand that when we vote as a singular councilor that the outcome of a majority vote becomes a "council decision" and we must abide and stand by that decision even if we do not totally agree with the decision. I have realized that there are multiple issues to take into consideration; there is our own organization to consider, as well, our political involvement in the LSTC (Lower Stl'atlimx Tribal Council) where we are involved with the other bands of Skatine, Samaquam & N'quatqua - where funds are distributed from INAC for such things as Capital Projects (housing infrastructure) and where we have to maintain our input and representation; as well, the Health services of our community is tied in with the other bands through SSHS (Southern Stl'atl'imx Health Society) - where we have to be involved to ensure that our members have the services that they require for their betterment in health. And of lately, there will be the transition of National Health Canada services funding to First Nations Health Council where there have been regional, community, province and nation meetings to move this process forward. Our involvement in this First Nations Health Council is important in that we may have the input necessary to make a better health care system that is more specific to the needs of our people.
  • I have learned more about economic development - we have had to go through the lengthy Agreements with our Band lawyer, Michael Segelken, for the Cloudworks/Innergex IPP's (Independent Power Projects); we were able to ask Michael to clarify for us as to what exactly was in the agreements. We also have a joint business venture with Lizzie Bay Logging that is a moderate success, the council has done due diligence with the agreement with Norm Leblanc & Lizzie Bay Logging.
  • Although I have worked for other administrations and organizations and have had some knowledge of administration and policies, I also, more specifically learned about administration policies and procedures of Xa'xtsa during my short term; I and the rest of council have been working on the Human Resources Policy, Financial Policy and Leadership Policy since I came into office; this in itself was a lengthy procedure. We had staff go through the Human Resources Policy, and then we as council went through it with the HR lawyer Chaslyn Gillanders to finalize the policy.
  • I now understand what "due diligence" is and that is to basically make sure that all of our ducks are in a row and to have the best outcome for our organization as legally and ethically possible. I am learning still about Council Portfolio responsibility and being on the Personnel Committee along with Alvin Gabriel; all of the committees still need to have Terms of Reference in place with guiding principles to assist them to work for the organization and community - this is part of the work that needs to be ongoing with new council.
  • I have learned a lot from watching and listening to the more experienced members on our council and also from watching, listening and asking questions of our Band Manager, our lawyers and others. I know that I will never "know it all" - therefore my mind and heart are very open to continued learning.

Should I be voted onto the next Council Term, what I would like to see in place for the community and membership includes:

  • I would like to see the continuation of work started around the organization restructuring; more specifically, the Terms of Reference for the Committees with clear guiding principles that the committee members can follow for working with the Council, administration and community;
  • The committees are important in that they can have more direct influence from the community; input and ideas based on the people, for the people, from the people;
  • As a worker with experience in the field of helping, I would like to see healing workshops happen around such issues as Lateral Violence & Residential School issues - I understand that these wishes/visions for wellness for the people would not pop up overnight - but that council would need to set priorities & budgets for this type of work - this again would come from the community directives; I strongly believe (due to my own personal journey) that once individuals get a handle on their own wellness that the trust & love of self will extend itself out towards each other as families and as a community.
  • I would like to see our Mission office as a resourceful place for our membership in the Fraser Valley and outwards; so that, even if INAC dollars cannot cover certain aspects of healing/education/legal/social etc. that there would be a large list of resources in the area that can assist our members.
    In the community of Xa'xtsa, I would like to see the Capital Projects move forward so that our community can finally start to rebuild;
  • I would like to see the capacity building within our community of our present staff in Tipella and the ongoing work towards healing as a community with the placement of the therapist in the community.
    I would like to see, if not a church, then some sort of spiritual structure in place that can bring back prayer and good works to our community.

For community growth I would like to see;

  • In 4 years, I would like to see the organizational chart of Xa'xtsa fully operational and budgeted; the council would need to work diligently on the Strategic Planning - to revisit and to revise as needed;
  • In the next 4 years, I would like to see ongoing services and work within the community and to keep all members that do not live in the community in the loop, connected and communicating well.
  • I chose to accept the nomination for Council because I care for Xa'xtsa community and people and I want us all to have a positive, happier and healthier lifestyle; and because I want to see the good work that has started to carry through.

I want to thank the people of Xa'xtsa for giving me the opportunity in this past short term that I have had on this council as I would not have looked more in depth at my personal issues without this opportunity and I would not have gained all the new knowledge I now have. Thank all of you people and all of the council for allowing me to work with you and for you and I look forward to taking on the challenges of another term. The goals that I have are to continue to serve people in whatever manner I can;

Creator, ancestors & people willing, if I am elected on Council for the next term I would be committed and diligent to the political will and influence needed to be involved with the community Health, Infrastructure & economic development of our little nation and engaging our membership in meetings.

ALL MY RELATIONS, "Lee lock", Marilyn Ryan