'Namgis Blended Governance

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Dear Members,

It is an exciting time for ‘Namgis First Nation, as we are reaching out to all our members to engage on what a system of blended governance can look like for our Nation, which will include a role for elected and hereditary Chiefs.

As you may remember, through a series of conversations between 2015 and 2017, we heard that members would prefer a system of governance that blends ‘Namgis traditional and elected systems together. This feedback from our members was included in our Comprehensive Community Plan, which was approved by members in 2017 and provides direction to leadership to work on a blended system of government.

By creating blended governance for ‘Namgis, we will have a government that honours our traditions, while creating stability to meet the challenges of the future.

Creating a system of blended governance will be complex and will take a long time. The ‘Namgis Title and Rights Forum (the Forum) has been working on a temporary agreement to guide the work and now we want to talk to all members. Over the next few months, you can expect to receive invitations to join us in community meetings, virtual meetings and Elders’ meetings, which will be led by a group of Elders, elected representatives and hereditary Chiefs.

We look forward to hearing from you about this important initiative.

Gilakas'la,

Chief Victor Isaac, Chris Cook Jr., George Alfred, Ivy Peers, Robert Mountain


Dear Members,

It is an exciting time for ‘Namgis First Nation, as we are reaching out to all our members to engage on what a system of blended governance can look like for our Nation, which will include a role for elected and hereditary Chiefs.

As you may remember, through a series of conversations between 2015 and 2017, we heard that members would prefer a system of governance that blends ‘Namgis traditional and elected systems together. This feedback from our members was included in our Comprehensive Community Plan, which was approved by members in 2017 and provides direction to leadership to work on a blended system of government.

By creating blended governance for ‘Namgis, we will have a government that honours our traditions, while creating stability to meet the challenges of the future.

Creating a system of blended governance will be complex and will take a long time. The ‘Namgis Title and Rights Forum (the Forum) has been working on a temporary agreement to guide the work and now we want to talk to all members. Over the next few months, you can expect to receive invitations to join us in community meetings, virtual meetings and Elders’ meetings, which will be led by a group of Elders, elected representatives and hereditary Chiefs.

We look forward to hearing from you about this important initiative.

Gilakas'la,

Chief Victor Isaac, Chris Cook Jr., George Alfred, Ivy Peers, Robert Mountain


  • The Journey to Gwayile'las

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    ‘Namgis Chief and Council has come together with ‘Namgis Hereditary leaders to start the important process of creating a new system of governance for the ‘Namgis Nation – a system where ‘Namgis elected and traditional leaders will work together to implement ‘Namgis self-determination, self-government and self-reliance following Gwayile’las – ‘Our Way.’

    We are creating this new system because we heard from ‘Namgis members that blended governance shared between elected and traditional leaders is important to you. From 1998 to 2013, ‘Namgis was involved in the BC Treaty Process. During this time a Draft Constitution was developed by the Treaty Caucus – including Hereditary Chiefs. This Constitution would have replaced the exiting Band Council structure with a new structure which included representation of Hereditary Chiefs.

    Treaty Caucus evolved over time into the Title and Rights Forum – often just called the Forum – and in 2019 the Forum decided to develop an interim (temporary/short-term) agreement to formalize their relationship and a collaborative process for working together. That agreement was drafted by two elected and two Hereditary Chiefs:

    • Charlie Beans
    • The late Chief Bill Cranmer
    • Dixon Taylor
    • Ernest Alfred

    The interim agreement is now called The Journey to Gwayile’las – Interim Protocol and is part of the ‘Namgis Blended Governance 5-Year Workplan to develop a permanent and blended governance structure. The Journey to Gwayile’las – Interim Protocol and ‘Namgis Blended Governance 5-Year Workplan were both approved by Forum, and in 2022 a team was established to engage with members.

    Here is a brief timeline of how we got here.

    • 1998 to 2013: ‘Namgis was involved in the BC Treaty Process
    • 2013 – 2015: Treaty Caucus evolved into Title and Rights Forum
    • 2015: Members survey on self-governance – 62% of members prefer a blend of ‘Namgis traditional and elected system
    • 2017: 'Namgis and the federal government create a Recognition of Indigenous Rights and Self Determination (RIRSD) discussion table. The purpose is to explore new ways to achieve the reconciliation of title and rights, and last reconciliation (outside of the treat process)
    • October 2019 : The Forum appointed a Working Group of two elected and two Hereditary Chiefs to develop draft of the Interim Protocol
    • September 2021: The Forum oversees the development of the ‘Namgis 5-Year Workplan
    • 2023-2024 – the engagement team is established and community engagement begins



  • Journey to Gwayile'las - Interim Protocol Summary

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    ‘Namgis Title and Rights Forum: Interim Protocol Summary

    To support transparent communications with ‘Namgis members, this summary of the Journey to Gwayile'las - Interim Protocol highlights what each section talks about. To be fully informed about what the Journey to Gwayile'las - Interim Protocol says, it is important to read the full document.

    Preamble

    The preamble section sets the stage. It describes the context for the Journey to Gwayile'las - Interim Protocol and confirms that the ‘Namgis Elected Chief and Council (Council) and ‘Namgis Hereditary Chiefs (Chiefs) want to use the Journey to Gwayile'las - Interim Protocol to help guide them in working together to “uphold their respective responsibilities, build unity and continue to implement ‘Namgis self determination in accordance with Gwayile’las.”

    Definitions

    This section explains what key terms in the document mean and how they should be interpreted.

    Purpose of the Interim Protocol

    This section explains the reasons why the Council and the Chiefs want to strengthen their relationship. It also talks about the benefits of a unified approach to asserting ‘Namgis title and rights and caring for the territory.

    This section also clarifies the roles and responsibilities of the ‘Namgis Council and Chiefs. It says that these roles will continue to be in place until ‘Namgis members decide on a new form of governance.



    Role of ‘Namgis Elected Chief and Council


    Role of ‘Namgis Hereditary Chiefs


    Continue to be the political, administrative and legal representatives for all initiatives and negotiations with federal, provincial and other parties.


    Continues to be respected in providing leadership and guidance to Council and Members with respect to ‘Namgis title and rights.




    Fundamental Principles

    This section sets out the beliefs and rules that the Council and Chiefs agree should guide how they work together.


    • Protection and Advancement of ‘Namgis Aboriginal Title and Rights.

    • Sustainability.

    • Inclusivity.

    • Transparency.

    • Unity.

    • Respect.

    • Dignity.

    • Equality.

    • Trust.

    • Honour.



    The Role of the ‘Namgis Title and Rights Forum

    This section explains that the main role of the Forum is to ensure that the interests of ‘Namgis members interests and priorities are considered in decisions that impact ‘Namgis title and rights. It also identifies the specific topics that should be discussed by the Forum. They are:

    • protecting and advancing ‘Namgis title and rights;

    • natural resource management, including land-use planning activities and co-management arrangements;

    • rights based fisheries and harvesting,

    • litigation or negotiations affecting ‘Namgis title and rights;

    • negotiations regarding overlapping claims with neighbouring Nations;

    • the integration of cultural protocols in ‘Namgis First Nation administrative policies,

    • major investment from economic development activities in the Territory; and

    • the development of a ‘Namgis Declaration, ‘Namgis Constitution and ongoing implementation of Gwayile’las, “Our Way”.

    This section also talks about the process that the Council and Chiefs will create for making decisions, and how ‘Namgis members need to be involved in that process. This section talks about the type of information that will be shared by the Council with the Chiefs to help them participate in decision-making in the Forum.

    The process that the Council and Chiefs will follow to make decisions is called the Mandate Development and Collaboration Framework. The details of the Framework are provided in Appendix B. The Framework outlines how three types of decisions are made:

    1. Membership decisions: These are decisions that only ‘Namgis members can make. These decisions relate to issues that could fundamentally and permanently change how ‘Namgis exercises its title or rights (things like a treaty, self-government agreement, extinguishment of rights).

    1. Forum advice: These are decisions that Council makes in consultation with the Hereditary Chiefs. These decisions relate to issues that have significant impact on 'Namgis title and rights.

    1. Administrative decisions: These are decisions that Council can make on its own. These are limited to actions that administration takes to operationalize Forum advice.

    Forum Meetings

    This section confirms that the Forum will meet at least four times per year. It also acknowledges that the Forum’s work relies on the Council being able to find and secure the people and money to keep it going.

    Communications with Members

    This section talks about how confidential information will be treated by the Forum. It also confirms that that the Council will be responsible for community engagement about the Forum’s business.

    Compensation and Administrative Support

    This section says that all Forum members will be compensated for their time and expenses following ‘Namgis First Nation approved rates.

    Review and Reaffirmation

    This section says that the Forum will review the Journey to Gwayile'las - Interim Protocol after the first six months, and then once per year.

    Dispute Resolution

    This section talks about how the Forum will resolve disputes. If a dispute or disagreement happens, the first step will be to appoint a working group of two Chiefs and two Council members to decide what to do. Mediation or culturally relevant dispute resolution process can also be used.

    Term

    The section confirms that the Journey to Gwayile'las - Interim Protocol is a temporary agreement until a blended governance system can be established.

    Amendment

    Any amendments to the Journey to Gwayile'las - Interim Protocol must be done in writing.

    Execution

    This section says that the Interim Protocol can be signed for the Council by any elected person who is not also a Hereditary Chief. There is no limit on the number of individuals who sign on behalf of each 'Namima. Who will sign on behalf of a 'Namima is the business of the 'Namimas.

Page last updated: 06 May 2024, 11:37 AM