Indian Time - A Voice from the Eastern Door

The Assembly of First Nations Chief Shawn A-in-chut Atleo launched the “First Nation Advocacy, Awareness and Action” initiative as of June 1, 2011. “Our goal this June is to continue to advance a greater understanding between First Nations and all Canadians,” said Atleo in a release from AFN.

This initiative was brought forward at a good time, as the Canada Border Service Agency here at the Cornwall Port of Entry has implemented one of the negotiated terms between them and the Akwesasne community. CBSA has created a new position in their office titled Aboriginal Liaison Officer.

This liaison position was nationally posted internally within CBSA, with 59 applications being received. Of those applicants, representatives from Mohawk Council of Akwesasne were included on the screening and interview process, narrowing the pool down to ten candidates. Of those ten, four were self-identified as being of First Nations descent.

After many hours of interviewing with the candidates concerning their abilities to provide conflict resolution, language barriers, their knowledge of aboriginal history, and most importantly a 10-minute presentation about Akwesasne – one candidate shone above the rest. The successful candidate is from a First Nations community himself and comes from the area of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.

“He was the only First Nations employee at his former location and during the interview process he showed a true understanding of aboriginal issues,” said Kawehno:ke District Chief Wesley Benedict, who holds the chair of the Public Safety Portfolio within MCA and was on the interview panel. “His interest in his culture, his way of speaking and interacting with others, and his overall character genuinely impressed the interviewers.”

The job description for this position was developed collaboratively between MCA and CBSA, with the first and foremost duty to strengthen CBSA’s relationship with the Akwesasne community. He is to achieve this by participating in Akwesasne events like the powwow and career fair, keep CBSA informed of events in Akwesasne that might cause an increase in traffic at the port. He is also to engage in outreach activities with community groups such as the Boys & Girls Club and Tri-District Elders. In addition to these outreach roles, he is also to prepare updates for the Akwesasne community in order to answer community questions regarding CBSA.

A benefit for Akwesasne is his background in conflict resolution. This position serves as neutral party when handling potential complaints, as he is available on-call to come in and work with the community member directly. At any point if a community member feels like they are being treated unfairly, they can request to speak with the liaison officer rather than have to continue with the officer on hand.

“We have an opportunity to build a stronger Canada for all of us by returning to the original vision of working together in partnership, mutual respect and understanding,” said Atleo.

This could not be more evident as CBSA also follows through on other negotiated terms, including cultural awareness training of Akwesasne ways and customs. The liaison officer will be responsible for coordinating these efforts, along with tours of Akwesasne and providing historical information to staff and management.

Atleo could not have summarized the sentiment of this move more concisely; “We want to work with Canadians on a path forward that unlocks the full potential of all First Nations in this country.”