The Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal is the daily newspaper of Northwestern Ontario.
IT turns out that claims of a close race putting Shawn Atleo in danger of defeat were off the mark. But while the incumbent is back in charge of the Assembly of First Nations with a comfortable majority and a renewed mandate, his challenge is greater than ever. Challenges, really, for there are two.
First, he must quell those voices among First Nations who claim Atleo is too tight with Ottawa. Healthy consultation will achieve more than still more confrontation which now wearies many Canadians.
Atleo’s second obstacle is cobbling together something resembling a united front among an assembly of traditionally but notoriously independent members in order to convince them and the other levels of government to build a model of success around a new natural resources boom.
For the first time ever there exists a path for First Nations to lift themselves out of the poverty and dependence that for most is the norm. The exceptions have been those whose leaders used opportunity to their advantage. Whether it was building a local economy around business or the proximity of forests, oil, gas or minerals, there are a relative few First Nations who got out of the old traps and built a new life for their people.
Here in the Northwest there is mostly rancor where there could instead be a meeting of minds to involve First Nations around the hugely promising Ring of Fire mineral deposit.
There is enough raw material to enrich the companies hoping to mine it, the First Nations surrounding and beyond it, and the larger region supporting it to make a new life around a new relationship among all these parties. Put reasonable rights together with responsibility and opportunity and big things will happen.
Let us see Atleo — on behalf of his members — work with Ottawa, Queen’s Park and mining leaders to forge this new relationship for the good of all the people of Northern Ontario.