Miawpukek First Nation ‘didn’t have to reinvent the constitution wheel’
By Kelly Crawford
SAULT STE. MARIE – The First Nation Constitution Development Workshop “Empowering Jurisdiction” took place in Sault Ste. Marie on October 1-2, bringing in 60 participants from all over the Anishinabek Nation.
“It is time to kick open those doors and have the confidence to go forward.” said Grand Chief Patrick Madahbee in his opening address. Madahbee praised participants for their dedication to constitutional development in their respective communities. “We have very important issues on our plate, constitutions are so important.”
The two-day event began with a keynote address from Tina Benoit, Miawpukek First Nation Constitution Committee member. Benoit shared “Miawpukek’s Road to Ratification” with workshop participants.
Benoit made the 3300km trip from Miawpukek First Nation located in Newfoundland to join the Anishinabek Nation in constitution development discussions. She explained the strong community desire to develop a Miawpukek First Nation Constitution, in order to strengthen community nationalism and build a stronger more effective governance structure. Miawpukek First Nation Chief and Council believed that a Constitution was important regardless of a self-government agreement.
Miawpukek First Nation Constitution Committee included male/female representation from all sectors of the community. “The constitution committee spent 10,320 hours towards developing their constitution.” They began with researching examples of other constitutions. “We didn’t have to re-invent the wheel. We took want would work for us and developed the rest.” After eight months of development and consultation the final draft was presented to the community on June 7, 2012. Miawpukek First Nation now operates under its own community-developed constitution. “It captures who we are,” concluded Benoit.
The workshop continued with a two-track agenda providing participants with opportunities to learn about constitution development and/or begin the actual drafting process with legal resources available on-site.
Topics ranged from understanding the principles of a constitution, amendments, consultation, and ratification to implementation.
Presentations were given by Tracey O-Donnell, Lead Education Negotiator and Fred Bellefeuille, UOI Head Legal Counsel.