January has brought its share of winter weather, and as the season continues, so do our concerns regarding the MSC Baltic. We sincerely appreciate the feedback and questions we continue to receive from members. As we remain in active communication with MSC and the Canadian Coast Guard, your concerns help to identify a responsible path forward. As expected, weather conditions have limited response efforts, and this remains a significant factor in how the situation is unfolding.

We have not yet met with MSC officials in 2026; however, our December meetings were productive and have left us optimistic that the year ahead will bring meaningful, collaborative progress. We remain committed to being a strong voice in this important conversation with MSC and all stakeholders, ensuring that the vessel’s removal is carried out as safely as possible. Our priorities remain clear: protecting the environment, creating meaningful employment opportunities for local people, and ensuring that everyone affected by this situation has a voice in the process.

While confirmed information is limited, we will be fully engaged. The protection of our water, environment, and communities will always be our top priority. We will share updates as verified information becomes available, and we appreciate members for raising concerns and staying involved.

As we welcome a new year, I want to extend my heartfelt wishes for good health and happiness to all our members, families, and communities.

I also want to remind everyone to take extra care in the weeks ahead. This time of year, often brings an increase in seasonal illnesses and other viruses. Many of us, including our staff and myself, have been affected. It is a clear reminder that we all share a responsibility in keeping one another safe.

Please take the necessary precautions, stay home when you are unwell, and look out for those around you. Small acts of kindness and extra caution can make a significant difference in protecting our elderly, our families, and our community.

May the year ahead bring good health to you all and present opportunities for our Nation to thrive and prosper.

Happy New Year to all.

Last week in the Senate, during discussions regarding amendments to Bill S-2, Senator Judy White questioned the legitimacy of Qalipu First Nation members, remarks that are now part of the national record and circulating widely. This is not the first time she has used her office to cast doubt on our people, and the harm is magnified by the influence of her position.

Qalipu First Nation members deserve respect and unity, not division, especially from someone who holds the same membership card as every other member. Senator White herself is a Qalipu First Nation member, with many in her own community of Flat Bay also part of our Nation. Her remarks raise troubling questions about whether she is undermining not only our legitimacy, but her own and that of her community.

It was reassuring to see 68 Senators vote in favour of amendments to Bill S-2, approaching the issue from a broad national and regional perspective. Their leadership reflects unity, fairness, and accountability, in contrast to Senator White’s misuse of her platform to sow division and lateral violence against Qalipu First Nation’s members.

For our Nation, this issue is not about enrolment reform, it is about the dignity and legitimacy of our members. Qalipu First Nation members applied in good faith under rules designed and repeatedly rewritten by Canada in collaboration with the Federation of Newfoundland Indians. Criticism should be directed at the colonial registration system and federal control over Indigenous identity, not at Mi’kmaq families who followed the process laid out for them.

As a Nation, we remain steadfast in defending the dignity of our members and in working to reform the colonial systems that have caused harm and division. In doing so, we are safeguarding the hard‑won recognition that was lost in 1949 and took decades to reclaim, when Newfoundland joined Canada. We will continue to stand united, protect the integrity of Qalipu First Nation, and advocate for fairness, respect, and recognition for all our members, today and for generations to come.

More information on Bill S-2 can be found here: https://www.ubcic.bc.ca/indian_act_second_generation_cut_off