This week, I joined a delegation representing Newdock, Qalipu First Nation, Membertou First Nation, Horizon Naval Engineering, and Genoa Design International in Ottawa to advance discussions with federal departments, agencies, ministers, and Members of Parliament regarding Project Oqwatn (Ohk-wah-den), meaning ‘North’, our expansion plan for Newdock.

This visit strengthened national awareness of our dockyard’s importance to both Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador. Federal departments clearly recognize the growing pressure on east coast marine infrastructure as both naval and Coast Guard fleets grow. Project Oqwatn positions our province to meet those demands while creating long-term economic benefit here at home.

Canada’s Coast Guard and Navy are expanding their fleets to support Arctic sovereignty. These larger, longer vessels require places to berth for emergency repairs, maintenance, and vessel life extension. With a recognized shortage of ship repair facilities across the country, Newdock stands ready to help meet that national need.

Newdock is 95% Indigenous-owned, making it a key asset in fulfilling Canada’s commitment to Indigenous economic reconciliation. It demonstrates how Newfoundland and Labrador can lead the country in building strong, future-focused Indigenous partnerships in the marine and defence sectors.

For our province, the expansion of Newdock means high value jobs that align with Canada’s apprenticeship targets and the expanded capacity to support major provincial initiatives such as Bull Arm and Churchill Falls, among others.

We look forward to further discussions with both the Provincial and Federal governments so that we can collectively meet the needs of a nation that looks increasingly to its oceans for security, prosperity, and sovereignty. Project Oqwatn is more than an expansion: It is a statement of confidence in Newfoundland and Labrador, in Indigenous economic leadership, and in Canada’s ability to invest in and strengthen its marine capacity.

Earth Week offers an important moment to reflect on our shared responsibility to honour and protect Mother Earth, our home. It felt especially meaningful that this week, members of our team and I had the opportunity to attend the 58th National Congress on Housing and Homelessness in St. John’s.

I was invited to participate by Regional Chief Mitchell as he is the Assembly of First Nations portfolio holder for Housing, Homelessness, and Infrastructure. Chief Mitchell continues to be deeply engaged in addressing housing challenges facing First Nations communities across the country.

These national conversations give us the space to share the realities and priorities of our communities while learning from innovative approaches emerging in other regions. We also connected with our provincial partners to reaffirm our shared commitment to increasing housing across the island. We are stronger when we build together.

Housing is connected to everything, health, language, ceremony, family, and community identity. This gathering brought together housing leaders and community partners from across Canada, all united in ensuring safe, affordable, and sustainable housing for the people we serve.

The focus on sustainability felt especially significant during Earth Week, reminding us that housing solutions must not only meet the needs of our people but also respect and protect the lands and waters that sustain us.

Our team is committed to advocating for affordable, accessible housing solutions that reflect the needs of our people, and to advancing approaches that honour our responsibility to care for Mother Earth for generations to come.

Housing & Homelessness

I want to share some of the work I’ve been involved in recently and the shifting conditions I am witnessing on the land. At this time of year, the landscape is transforming rapidly. With the snow melting and brooks opening up, travel is becoming unpredictable. I urge everyone out on the land to be cautious, the snow is deteriorating and no longer holding, and conditions can shift without warning. Please ensure someone knows your route and your expected return time.

Recently, I have been involved in wildfire resilience planning with the City of Corner Brook to help communities prepare for these changing conditions. Alongside this work, I have also been working through the Environment and Natural Resources department and engaging in early discussions with partners such as Kruger. Kruger currently has a five-year operational plan in place, and while a “Two-Eyed Seeing” approach is not part of that existing plan, conversations are beginning to explore how we can move in that direction in the future. This represents an initial step toward building stronger relationships and improving how forest resources are managed and waterways are protected over time.

This work reinforces the importance of ensuring the Nation is at the table from the very beginning of any project or environmental assessment. When our knowledge is included from the outset, it helps ensure that lived experience shapes decisions before they are finalized, rather than being sought as an afterthought. True partnership means being involved at the design stage to help protect sensitive habitats and culturally significant areas before work begins. This is essential to ensuring development respects the land we all rely on.

We are already seeing the effects of a changing climate. Lower water levels and altered fish habitats are clear signs of how sensitive these ecosystems have become. My work with Fisheries and Oceans Canada on brook trout populations is personal for me. I grew up fishing these waters when they had clean rock beds and steady flows. Today, warmer temperatures and reduced forest cover are changing that reality. When we lose the canopy along riverbanks, the water loses its protection.

All of these changes are connected. When landscapes are disturbed, water moves faster and erodes more easily, contributing to the flooding we are now seeing. Healthy natural areas along our rivers and streams are our strongest defense, acting as a buffer that protects water quality and builds flood resilience. The land is changing, but it continues to teach us. Our responsibility is to listen, adapt, and ensure we are protecting these resources for the generations to come.

 

K’we relatives,

As we move through the changing season and mark the arrival of the Spring Equinox on March 21, a time of balance, renewal, and new beginnings, I want to take a moment to reflect on the work we’ve been doing together over the past month.

March has been a meaningful and full month, grounded in connection, advocacy, and forward movement for our people.

I had the honor of participating as a panelist on climate action alongside Chief Misel Joe and Stanley Oliver from the Labrador Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the College of the North Atlantic and ECO Canada in St. Johns. These conversations are so important. They ensure that Indigenous voices, knowledge, and stewardship are not only included, but centered, in discussions about climate change and adaptation. Our perspectives are rooted in generations of living in relationship with the land, and they must guide the path forward.

I also traveled to Goose Bay, Labrador to attend the 9th Annual Reconciliation Council Gathering. Being in that space, alongside Indigenous leaders, partners, and community voices, was a powerful reminder that reconciliation is not a single action, it is ongoing work. It is built through relationships, truth-telling, and a shared commitment to doing better for future generations.

One of the most important conversations I had this month was meeting with First Light and the Minister of Justice, to speak about Indigenous overincarceration in Newfoundland and Labrador. This is a deeply personal and systemic issue that continues to impact our families and communities. I brought forward not only the realities we are seeing, but also the need for change, change that reflects healing, supports alternatives to incarceration, and addresses the root causes tied to intergenerational trauma.

As we step into spring, a time our ancestors recognized as a season of renewal, I carry forward a sense of hope. Hope that through these conversations, partnerships, and advocacy efforts, we are planting seeds for stronger, healthier futures for our people.

This work is not done alone. It is guided by our teachings, our Elders, our families, and each of you.

Wela’lin for your continued support, your voices, and your strength.

Colleen Paul
Vice Chief, Qalipu First Nation

 

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.