Regional Chief Morley Googoo

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Wela'lin
 

This is a dynamic time for my Regional Chiefs' office and the portfolios I'm honoured to work in; Truth and Reconciliation, arts, culture, heritage, sport and Canada 150. There are a number of projects that will evolve in the coming months, however, the recent MP Chiefs summit is one that I personally point to with great pride. Hosting our inaugural meeting on Parliament Hill this past June was a historic and precedent setting meeting. More recently our council of Mi'kmaw Chiefs in partnership with MP Andy Fillmore and MP Darrel Samson have established this as an ongoing collaboration hosting Attorney General of Canada, Jody Wilson-Raybould who joined in discussions with our Chiefs on Nation-to-Nation governance and structure. Moving forward cultivating discussions and partnerships with Ulnooweg and other strategic organizations on advancing First Nations people is a core mandate of my office function. These meetings and the mandate of the MP Chiefs summit are promising for more effective and fruitful community relations and development.

Mark Your Calendars for Grand Pre 2017!

In 2017 Canada will mark it's 150th anniversary of the country's founding - in August of 2017 the First Nations and Acadian communities will also revisit a defining time in our Mi'kmaw history in which we embraced and collaborated with French settlers in what would later become Canada. From the first contact with Grand Chief Membertou to the Grand Derangement in 1755 and ultimately Grand Pre in 2017, Acadian and Mi'kmaw people have long understood the effects of displacement and the need to maintain cultural traditions, languages and oral history while respecting the cultures of others and perhaps most importantly, they knew that both could coexist. This unique relationship was diminished with the effects of colonization and expulsion, however, 2017 will revisit and reignite the power of this friendship that has transcended centuries and shaped the country we know today - A place of consideration, acceptance and appreciation that extends beyond all barriers and borders. Grand Pre 2017 will be a joint cultural showcase that will welcome the nation and feature the principles on which the Canada we know today was founded.
Mark your calendars for the event of the summer Aug. 10-13, 2017.

Reconciliation Through Education

National Partners in Truth and Reconciliation Collaborate with Nova Scotia Indigenous Education Network in Precedent Setting Symposium

Representatives from across Nova Scotia gathered recently at St. FX University to discuss the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) calls to action as they relate to education in Nova Scotia. Charlene Bearhead, director of education and outreach for the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation based in Winnipeg facilitated the session that covered the regional, provincial and federal response to the TRC calls to action within education. National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation representatives met with educators from across Nova Scotia recently at St. FX University to discuss the Commission’s calls to action as they relate to education across the province.

Nova Scotia is the first province to come together in developing a provincial Indigenous education network to address the calls to action at this level. Participants from CBU, Dalhousie, MSVU, Unama'ki College, the Legacy of Hope Foundation, Mi’kmaw Kina’matnewey (MK), the Nova Scotia Dept. of Education, the Assembly of First Nations, the NS Teachers Union, Nova Scotia Libraries, KAIROS Canada, and Health Canada reviewed the P-12 Nova Scotia Treaty Education Program as a part of their sharing and deliberations.

The group reviewed the TRC's calls to action and discussed #62 which addresses Indigenous education and its application in the Nova Scotia education system. "Nova Scotia is a leader in taking this broad approach to Indigenous education and establishing this network to actively address #62," said Bearhead. The network will meet quarterly and share best practices and curriculum updates across the province.

Regional Chief Morley Googoo commended the groups’ work saying, "this collaboration is a direct response to the calls to action and stands as a concrete example of how Nation-to-Nation governance can and will produce results, my office will continue to champion these precedent setting activities."

 Dan Christmas Appointed to Senate 
as the First Ever Mi’kmaw Representative

An historic day for
the Mi'kmaw Nation 

Dan Christmas is the first Mi'kmaw representative appointed to the Canadian Senate. Dan Christmas has been senior adviser for the Mi'kmaw First Nation of Membertou, N.S. and is credited with playing a key role in transforming his home community from a First Nation on the brink of bankruptcy to one of the most successful in Canada. He was a former Director of Advisory Services for the Union of Nova Scotia Indians. The Trudeau Government announced on Oct. 27, 2016 that Mr. Christmas would join the Senate.

David Suzuki Speaks at CEPI Conference: The People of the Lakes Speak

This past Nov.10^th Wagmatcook hosted Dr. David Suzuki, a world leader in sustainable ecology at the Collaborative Environmental Planning Initiative (CEPI) Conference: The People of the Lakes Speak, at the Wagmatcook First Nation Cultural Centre. The conference aimed to discuss and determine best sustainable practices. Dr. Suzuki championed the idea of collaboration and bringing the environmental and economic concerns of the community forward to all levels of government as the Bras D’or lakes have been designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. 

Copyright © 2016 , Chief Morley Googoo  All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
 
Office of the Regional Chief, Morley Googoo
Membertou First Nation, 201 Churchill Drive, Suite 201 Sydney Nova Scotia B1S 0H1
Ph: 902-565-6466 Ext. 3314 | E-mail: [log in to unmask]



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