FORT WILLIAM FIRST NATION — Fort William First Nation voters will cast their ballots for the next chief and council in two weeks.
The community is set to hold their election on May 27, after an error in the nomination process earlier this year resulted in a restart of the election.
Two women — Georjann Morriseau and Michele Solomon — are vying to replace former chief Peter Collins, who stepped down last year.
Morriseau had previously served as chief from 2013 to 2015.
This interview was lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
TBNewswatch: Why are you running for Chief?
Georjann Morriseau: I was formerly the chief here a number of years ago and since then, I've continuously worked for, First Nations and even corporate Canada. And so now I want to draw from that experience and come back and be able to give some of that back to my community and bring some of that experience back home and lend some stability and look to empower that purpose and that agenda out here in Fort William First Nation
TBnewswatch: Going off that previous experience, what are your goals that you want to achieve if you are elected?
Morriseau: If I'm elected, first and foremost is community engagement. I think that's something in order to affect any kind of change, in order for change to be successful and sustainable is you have to have your community and your people on board aware, informed, in the know and be part of that decision making and that lends back to the overall stability of the nation and prosperity moving forward. Obviously, economic development is a big piece of our youth and our elders, it's about empowering them, but I think it's more about them having an affirmed voice and position in the community where they take more of the lead, and as well as being able to reassert and continue to implement our treaty jurisdiction including the treaty annuity claim.
TBnewswatch: How do you stand out against the other candidate, Michele Solomon?
Morriseau: I wish her luck. You know, again, I don't engage in negative politics. So I think if anything, the uniqueness of my candidacy is, I was elected chief a number of years ago. So I'm very familiar with the process. I'm very familiar with a lot of the issues in our community. But since then, I have gone out in the world gained some very substantive experience and real-life experience over the last several years. And so I'm wanting to bring that back and be able to lend what it is that I have learned to my community and work with whichever council is elected in.
TBnewswatch: What are your thoughts on the current issue of dogs at large here on the First Nation?
Morriseau: Well so first and foremost it's about safety right? It's about safety for band members, and not just children but also for the postal workers that deliver the mail. We even have flyer carriers that go door to door. You know, a lot of the dogs that are roaming in the community and so forth are pets but I do think we need to enact and work towards implementing, enforce a dog bylaw or an animal bylaw in the community. And again, that goes back to the community being able to help inform them. I know nobody really wants to see anybody get hurt, but I just think of and you know, we hear these stories of people being mauled. You never know if a dog gets triggered. The best thing is to continue to express and stress to our members that, love your pets, but please keep them contained or safely and properly so that, not only the postal service workers, but also that members, the overall safety community can continue to be strong.
TBnewswatch: In terms of economic development, are there any plans to talk about it within your campaign about how you would build the First Nation's economy independently?
Morriseau: Absolutely, we have, you know, we have so much opportunity out here. We're strategically located as a First Nation, we have wealth, and we have land. I mean, again, our location has land, we have railway, we have air way and we have a port land, we have water, you know, and so continuing to encourage and invite and recruit businesses and business joint ventures and opportunities to come out to the First Nation and conduct their business and work with the nation on these partnership agreements so that we can continue to build on that wealth in the long term in terms of own-source revenue. Also, local businesses from our communities being willing; economic development is also being able to invest in your own people who are entrepreneurs or want to be. Being able to invest in them and help them get their business started up and going so that not only are they benefiting, but the community is benefiting. It brings in more people, and of course, there are some major projects I think on the go right now, with the transmission line being one of them. So these are things that we definitely need to continue working towards, we need to continue to build on, especially on the previous chiefs and councils. these are things in the works. And I think these are things that are we're going to see the light at the end of the tunnel sooner than later. And there's going to be a lot of opportunity for Fort William First Nation and our band members, but also for Thunder Bay at large.
TBnewswatch: As a woman, coming back into the position as chief if elected, what kind of different perspective will you bring to the role and to the council to benefit the community?
Morriseau: I'm grateful for the opportunities I've had especially, but also the challenges that come with being a female and a woman in any kind of leadership role. However, I always like to express and stress the fact that qualifications first, right? I mean, I just happen to be a woman. I'm a very proud woman to know that I'm able to stand in this position where there are other candidates, a woman running as well. I just think that it's an added benefit and asset to have women. Having a perspective that we bring is at times a little bit more diverse, a little bit more rounded, however, we still need men as well. But in saying all of that, like I said, I'm grateful and embrace the challenges that come and I adapt to the surroundings and to the role and position that I carry. And if elected and as chief, as a woman, I can only hope that you know, the little girls that are out there watching, they see themselves when they see a First Nation woman growing up on the reserve and having been in the position that I've been in, that they see themselves and they can aspire to be that. That's my goal.
