OVIDE MERCREDI CANDIDATE FOR NATIONAL CHIEF
ASSEMBLY OF FIRST NATIONS
The reason I am seeking re-election is because I have the
experience. I am totally committed to the issues. Not only that,
I have the knowledge of the issues.
I have consistently advocated the wishes of the people themselves
and the Chiefs. I have always pursued the direction given to me by
the Chiefs in the Assembly.
We have to be consistent about the way in which we portray
ourselves to the Canadian public and the past three years have
allowed me to increase the profile of the aboriginal people and the
First Nations.
I think it is important to have continuity in terms of pressuring
government to deal with the agenda for First Nations.
And what is our agenda for First Nations? It's making sure our
treaties are honoured, it's making sure we have lands and resources
for self-sufficiency, it's making sure that the inherent right to
self-government is guaranteed so that we have the authority along
with the resources to control our own affairs in a way that is
consistent with the will of the people.
I think one of the most important qualities that a leader can
possess is the ability to communicate.
Communication is key in getting your message across. You have to
get your message across, you have to know the issues.
Knowledge of the issues is critical.
If people are honest with respect to their assessment of me and my
performance in the last three years, they have to agree that I have
been able to communicate our message to the Canadian public in a
way that does not dishonour our people but brings honour to them.
Whenever I travel in the smaller communities, I am always well
received by the elders, the leaders and the youth. They make a
point of thanking me for the way in which I have represented them.
A leader has to be able to communicate our message in a way that
the audience--the Canadian public, is not offended and does not
feel threatened but that they want to support your cause. We have
to get them on side.
An effective communicator is someone who can even turn someone
around who is potentially an enemy--to become an ally and that is
the kind of leadership that I have tried to portray and to some
extent I have been successful.
I think the issues are the same as the first time I ran for
National Chief. And I think one of them is our relationship with
the country as a whole. And that means addressing some of our most
basic grievances involving land and resources, self determination,
and the right to a better quality of life.
The well being of our communities, opportunities for our young
people, providing a future for First Nations and the recovery of
land and resources.
These issues were there last term and they are still the issues and
they will be here for a while yet.
Because it takes time to adjust to the demands that we are making
and that is why people sometimes get impatient because progress on
these issues is so slow.
What I intend to do is carry on what I have done before and that is
to impress upon the government to move more quickly in dealing with
our grievances and our demands for reform.
They can expect more of what I have done in terms of responding to
their calls for assistance on issues such as family violence and
suicide in their communities. One thing I have made sure to do
during my term is to bring the organization to the communities and
also to meet specifically with the leadership in each community to
make sure they understand what our objectives are and synchronize
them with their own objectives. I think people in the north can
continue to see a strong presence on my part in their communities
in addressing their needs and their problems and their aspirations
for progress and involvement.
At the same time they can expect me to keep pressuring government
to honour their treaties and to make sure that their leaders are
involved in any processes that deal with the implementation of
treaties. Finally they know that I have been their champion over
the past three years by pressuring government to give our people
the respect they deserve in terms of our autonomy and I think the
next three years will give us an opportunity to work with the
Liberal government to make that happen.
BIOGRAPHY HIGHLIGHTS
Cree, Grand Rapids, Manitoba
Law degree from the University of Manitoba, 1977
Practised law on The Pas reserve 1979-83
Commissioner on the Manitoba Human Rights Commission
Elected Assembly of First Nations' regional Chief for Manitoba 1989
Elected national Chief for the AFN in 1991
Co-authored IN THE RAPIDS with Mary Ellen Turpel.
In 1994 he was named one of Canada's most influential lawyers by
the CANADIAN LAWYER MAGAZINE.
During his leadership he has succeeded in attaining a higher
profile for Aboriginal issues both nationally and internationally.
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Statements posted by this reporter have been obtained from each of
the other candidates. None was received from Ovide Mercredi. The
author obtained permission to post the above account from the
Winnipeg Native newspaper THE FIRST PERSPECTIVE, July 1994.
Posted by Harold P. Koehler hkoehler@web.apc org
43 Napoleon Drive, LONDON ON N5V 4A8 (519)453-5452, Fax 453-3676
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