FSIN Annual Report 2015/2016 – Reconciliation: A Call to Action

Press Release

Message from Chief Bobby Cameron

FSIN Annual Report 2015 – 2016

Tansi,

On behalf of the 74 First Nations of Saskatchewan, we are honored to present the 2015-2016 Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations annual report. I started out the 2015-2016 reporting year serving our First Nations of the Federation as a 2nd Vice Chief. I was truly honored when you, our First Nation leadership and citizens elected me as the Chief of the FSIN on October 29th, 2016.

We must begin by acknowledging our Elders, our Youth our Senate, my fellow executive, and our Veterans who fought tirelessly for us and for this Country; a country that is now coming to terms and beginning to understand the need to reconcile with its Indigenous People, and the ongoing history of injustice and blatant discrimination. Most fittingly the theme of this year’s annual report is Reconciliation.

Our people have been reconciling this relationship since we met the first settlers onto these lands. Therefore to us, reconciliation is more than words and a current trend. Reconciliation must be meaningfully approached and meaningfully acted upon. The uncomfortable issues must be talked about within our communities, and in our territories and in this country called Canada. This is done by acknowledging truths; truths about the discrimi nation and racism that is embedded into the fabric of society, a society and a country that built its wealth on the Indigenous people, the lands over which they were stewards and through broken Treaty promises.

We entered into Treaty to share the land, for our people to be educated with the cunning of the white man. Instead, we do not share the wealth taken from these lands. At one time we were farmers and so successful the government created a pass and permit system that legislated when we could leave the reserves and when we could sell the fruits of our labors. We were excluded from participating in the economy. Effectively, we were legislated into poverty.

This country and its citizens need to reconcile this: we want to manage our resources, we want to manage prosperous and healthy communities, not poverty.

A school house on every reserve turned into the Indian Residential School system that destroyed children, parents, families and communities. We are still struggling to deal with the effects of this policy.

The Indian Act, a vehicle used to legislate our existence for more than 140 years, told the government and others that we needed to be controlled by Indian agents and bureaucrats. They controlled who was part of our nations, who our women could marry or not marry, and then discarded from our nations if they married out of their race.

It tells us how to manage our Treaty lands, it dictates who we leave our belongings to through wills, and it even tells how to elect our own leaders and how we are to administer our education, our health services and our housing. For us, reconciliation means breaking these chains holding us back, and building strong nations based on First Nation values, customs and laws.

From broken Treaties to promises of reconciliation, we have had our hand out asking them to come with us on this journey for centuries. We are leading the way on this path of reconciliation, with each other, within our families, our communities, our governments and the people of this country. Let’s lead the way together, Hiy Hiy
Chief Bobby Cameron

Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations