As we marked International Women’s Day, I have been thinking a lot about the strong women in my family and community, the women who shaped me, guided me, and helped me become the person I am today.

My own mother is not Mi’kmaq, she is of English descent. In her life, she has faced her share of challenges, but she has always met them with optimism and grace. She never speaks poorly of others, and she taught me early on that if you have nothing good to say, it is better to say nothing at all. As we celebrate International Women’s Day, I want to honour her and extend that gratitude to all women who turn harsh conditions into loving spaces, women who hold families together, who lead with compassion, and who carry strength quietly and powerfully.

I am a mother of three, a daughter, a sister, and your Chief. These roles are among the greatest honours of my life. Like other women serving as Chiefs across the country, I work every day to balance family life with leadership. I believe many of us do this well because of the maternal instincts we carry, the ability to multitask, to nurture, to protect, and to build.

This week, I had the honour to gather with some other female leaders as we participated in three days of training for First Nations Women’s Economic Empowerment and Leadership and attend a Fireside Chat with National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak and Minister Mandy Gull Masty, Minister of Indigenous Services Canada.

One of the most meaningful moments of the gathering was bearing witness to a variety of First Nations artifacts returned from the Vatican Museums being uncrated. Seeing these items being carefully opened and prepared for their return to Indigenous communities was a powerful experience.

Across the country, Indigenous women are taking their rightful place at leadership tables. National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, Regional Chief Andrea Paul in Nova Scotia, Regional Chief Joanna Bernard in New Brunswick, and so many others are showing what strong, grounded leadership looks like. Here at home, our own Nation reflects that balance: seven members of Council, including myself and Vice Chief Colleen, are female, working alongside our male councillors for the good of our people. Gender does not define our ability to do our work, but having varied perspectives and experiences is essential to informed decision making.

We know a balanced and gender diverse approach has not always been possible. The Indian Act once prohibited women from leadership entirely. It was not until 1951 that First Nations women regained the right to vote and run for office. Even today, women make up approximately 30% of Chiefs at the Assembly, just this week the total was counted at 166. We have come a long way, but there is still work to do.

This year’s theme, Give to Gain, speaks to something our communities have always understood. When we give our time, our knowledge, our support, we gain stronger families, stronger Nations, and stronger futures. Reciprocity is at the heart of who we are. When we lift women up, we lift entire communities. Today, and every day, we celebrate our matriarchs, past, present and future.

Press Release from AFN: https://afn.ca/all-news/press-releases/assembly-of-first-nations-national-chief-unveils-first-nations-items-returned-from-vatican-museum-archives/

This week’s announcement about the Bay du Nord project and the benefits agreement between the Province and Equinor marks an important moment for our province. Projects like this have real implications for the future of offshore work in Newfoundland and Labrador, and for the workers and families who rely on that sector.

Many of our own people work in the trades and offshore, and many of us have built our lives around that work. My own experience in the trades taught me just how much major industrial projects can mean for workers, families, and the communities that depend on them.

As this project moves ahead, it’s important to us that Indigenous people are meaningfully included, and that our members have real opportunities to take part in the jobs, contracts, and economic activity that come with projects of this scale.

As your Nation, our priority is to lead projects in a way that balances economic growth with environmental responsibility. By uplifting traditional knowledge and community voices, we can help ensure that development is done responsibly, protecting our lands and waters for future generations.

We continue to invest in our people. Every year, we put significant resources into education, training, and workforce development so our members can build careers in offshore energy, marine services, and the skilled trades. We’re also exploring partnerships with industry to help strengthen the workforce needed for future growth here in Newfoundland and Labrador.

We’re investing in the marine sector as well. Newdock, Canada’s first Indigenous‑owned shipyard, is positioned to support offshore development through fabrication, maintenance, and other marine services. As offshore activity increases, facilities like Newdock can play an important role in supporting the work that surrounds major projects, including barge construction, maintenance, and other essential services.

Projects like Bay du Nord have the potential to create benefits across many sectors and throughout the supply chain. Our focus is making sure we, as a people, are ready and well positioned to take part in those opportunities as they come, while leading in a way that respects both our environment and our communities.

This week, Memorial University released its Indigenous Verification Policy. This has been an important topic of conversation in our community ever since the departure of their former President, when the university publicly committed to “doing better.” When institutions speak of Indigenization and building policies that concern our communities, it can sound hopeful. However, hope only means something when it is executed with respect and accountability. While efforts have been made to improve relationships between academic institutions and First Nations, Inuit and Métis nations, we continue to see examples where universities create policies but resulting practices do not align with the very words of the institutions that write them.

We have experienced this with MUN’s compliance with its own research policy, where the governing bodies and processes of Section 35 Rights-Holding First Nations in Ktaqmkuk are often bypassed. Researchers choose convenience over proper protocol during research in our territory. During the development of the Indigenous Verification policy, MUN relied on a few recorded conversations, which do not constitute meaningful consultation with our Nation. This approach falls short of the standard of engagement we expect with our Council and membership.

I also want to be clear about something that matters deeply to us in relation to this newly adopted policy: we do not speak on behalf of the Innu or the Inuit of Labrador, nor do they speak for us. Doing so would be extremely inappropriate and disrespectful. Their identities, histories, and territories are their own. We respect them as distinct Indigenous peoples with their own governance. We have enough experience with governments deciding who we are to know the harm that causes.

For many of our families, the struggle to hold onto identity has been painful and complicated. Some of our ancestors hid who they were to protect their children. Others held on stubbornly, even when it cost them. Many of us grew up piecing together our stories from memories, old letters, and the quiet strength of those who refused to let our culture disappear. That history lives in us. It shapes how we move through the world and why we are so protective of our identity today.

This is why Memorial’s track record on implementing policy concerning Indigenous nations gives us pause. When research takes place without proper compliance to protocol in a good way or when identity is referenced without understanding the trauma behind it, it reopens wounds that our families have carried for generations. It is hard enough that Canada still asserts control over our membership through the Indian Act. Despite reassurances from MUN about their intent, we cannot allow educational systems to take on that role as well.

As your Chief, I want to assure you that your Council is fully committed to protecting our identity, our stories, and our right to define ourselves. Our culture is not something to be measured, ranked, or validated by outside structures. We will remind institutions that our people are not research subjects or policy categories; we are a living Nation with a long history and a strong future. We must continue to walk this path together, with compassion for one another and pride in who we are.