Representing First Nations is a Passion for Chief Lawrence Joseph

BY RON MERASTY

Chief Lawrence Joseph in his Saskatoon office. The photo behind him is of World War I-era First Nations soldiers smudging themselves before going to battle.RON MERASTY PHOTO

When he first got elected, he was warned to make sure he visited reserves during his term and not just prior to election time. He had been told, he said, ‘We want you out – visible and vocal – working for the people at the community level.’

He took the advice to heart and his well-used Toyota 4-Runner has made it to most reserves within the province. He says that he has been on the road almost every day for the past nine years, has been “where the communities want me to be.”

He wants to believe he’s earned the office of Chief because of all the work he’s engaged in, and being in communities means that he’s gotten direction from the Chiefs, Councils and Elders across the province. “You can’t buy that in the stores,” he said.

Working for First Nations is a passion for the Big River First Nation member, a signatory to Treaty No. 6. His assessment is that the right candidate is one with a compassionate heart and a vision for people – someone that wants to be a part of the solution, rather than just complaining about the woeful state of things.

When he worked for the federal government, specifically for the Solicitor General as a prison guard (there was a feature article on Chief Joseph in a recent StarPhoenix edition), he said he “almost” hated his job because he did it only to provide sustenance for his family. He also spent some time in the military, but most of his working life was as an employee of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada’s north-central office in Prince Albert.

“In this area, when you are working for First Nations people, you do things because you want to. You see some benefits – you want to give the voiceless a voice, the marginalized a place in our society, and I think we’ve been able to do that,” he said. He credits the 74 Chiefs of the FSIN for saying, ‘The realities are there; we need to address them.’

Chief Joseph calls the FSIN “probably the best organization in the world,” developed for uniting the Chiefs of Saskatchewan, and that its most important role is Treaty protection. The analogy he has of the Federation is that it is a great vehicle that maybe needs an overhaul, but that it is essentially sound.

“We need…to put the…right people on the bus – the Chiefs of Saskatchewan, the leadership, our Elders, and unite them for one purpose only – and that’s to protect our treaties – and get the government to acknowledge that there is a treaty in this nation. And that’s our job,” he said.

He puts great emphasis on the need to have a professional team of technicians, a good legal and communications strategy to move toward achieving goals, but to do so in a proactive, as opposed to a reactive, manner.

Known for his shoot-from-the-hip rhetoric in the past, which has grated on non-First Nations government, public figures and the media, he pledges to be more measured when speaking out on issues, and that it will be based on solid research and verifiable facts. “When I speak out, it’s going to be based on realities that are in First Nations reserves right now.”

He recalled a time several years ago, when even First Nations people could hardly believe what he was saying, about “people being dropped off, frozen bodies being found in and around Saskatoon.”

When he had the FSIN justice portfolio in 1997-98, as a newly elected Vice-Chief, he never got the time of day from police chiefs Joseph recalls. He states that he has established a good line of communication with provincial police chiefs, and both the Assistant Commissioner and Commissioner of the RCMP, and that they will call him about any policy initiatives. They have had discussions, for example, on missing Aboriginal women and First Nations recruitment for the police services.

Already having the attention of the Minister of Justice and Chief Judge of the Province, he feels it is only a matter of time before there is an open door to the federal Minister of Justice.

Taking over “certain segments of that justice process,” is one of the proactive steps that the Federation is working on. No, First Nations are not saying “we want a new justice system,” but “we want a different.

process from which we can actually honour s.718 of the Criminal Code,” the Gladue decision of the Supreme Court of Canada, and also the Young Criminal Justice Act that contemplates, “before you incarcerate Aboriginal people, to look at all the options.”

Section 718.2 (e) of the Criminal Code of Canada mandates that sentencing judges to consider all available sanctions other than imprisonment, and to pay particular attention to the circumstances of Aboriginal offenders.

Research needs to be done to implement this provision, he says, “to make sure that government is accountable, and secondly, that they provide services so that the other options can be considered. So First Nations can actually take over formulating First Nations solutions for First Nations problems.”

The FSIN has called for a Special Chiefs Legislative Assembly for November 29 and 30 to address the gaming issue. Renewal of the casino framework agreement will be due in 2007.

Gaming is important, is here to stay, he said, and that a new gaming agreement will impact everyone in Saskatchewan “in a good way.” It has its negative side, with problem gamblers, as well as its positives, but says that it is not “the be-all and end-all to our economic benefit in the province of Saskatchewan.”

Other economic development ventures and business developments need to be focused on. First Nations cannot always rely on government transfers he said, but says that they are owed in any case, “because we did not extinguish our rights to lands and resources.”

The Kelowna Accord is not dead – not in Chief Joseph’s eyes – citing that he’s had discussions with MP Gary Merasty to “at least put in motion what was agreed to by government, not the Liberals, but government, to get the Kelowna Accord wheels in motion.” He expects a political declaration will be endorsed at the legislative assembly November 29 and 30.

If lines of communication with tribal councils have been weak, he wants to connect with them, to get, as he says, the direction from First Nations leadership, “and that way, we are not isolated.”

He’d like to open the legislative assemblies for opportunities for more Chiefs and others to speak out on the issues that impact at the community level.

“I want to… give back the Federation to the people as much as possible, through communication and also opportunities at the assembly.”

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