Heather Bear. (Facebook/Heather Bear)

By Jaryn Vecchio

Upcoming Election

Incumbent fourth vice-chief for FSIN looking for re-election

Sep 27, 2023 | 5:00 PM

The incumbent fourth vice-chief of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) is looking to keep her position for another three years.

Heather Bear is one of three people to put their name forward for next month’s election. She has held the position for the last nine years, first being elected in 2014 and becoming one of the first women in decades to join the leadership group.

Bear told paNOW she hasn’t lost the passion for lobbying on behalf of Indigenous peoples.

“When you (people) believe in Treaty and inherent rights to self-determination, you really need people at those tables who really understand that and will go the extra mile.”

Her campaign is focusing on two major themes: the first being mental health and addictions.

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“Treatment centers, immediate response, medical detox. This is what we need to help our people so we can get to other roots: trauma and homelessness,” Bear said.

In her opinion, a big reason why these issues continue to be a problem is a lack of revenue to fund proper support. That’s where her second main theme comes in — rights to land.

“We’ve seen a disrespect of our jurisdiction when it comes to harvesting coming from the province. We have never been included in any type of plan when it comes to the land and resources of this region,” Bear added.

She believes revenue from selling resources would go a long way in better supporting First Nations people across the province. Bear also noted having FSIN in discussion on future projects would make sure that all environmental impacts and climate change are considered.

Meanwhile, also running for fourth vice-chief are Craig McCallum from Canoe Lake Cree First Nation and Curtis Standing from Wahpeton Dakota Nation.

The election will happen Oct. 5, 2023.

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Jaryn.Vecchio@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow