In a rare and historic event, the newly elected Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief RoseAnne Archibald is touring and meeting with elected chiefs and councils, elders, hereditary chiefs and community members in the northern B.C. region.
On, July 20, 2021, she met with the six Burns Lake First Nations, at a private dinner that took place at The Gathering Place at Tsilh Kaz Koh First Nation.
Chief Corrina Leween of Cheslatta Carrier Nation said, “It was an exceptional evening with the newly elected national chief. What a great opportunity to meet her and join her for dinner. It was nice that she made time to travel to our community given we have six First Nations here in Burns Lake and area. It was the efforts of Chantal Tom, manager of Burns Lake Native Development, Chief Clayton Charlie and Chief Maureen Luggi that organized this event for us. The food was amazing by Top of the Line catering - Carmen Charlie. I am looking forward to working with National Chief Archibald because when we work together locally and nationally we can achieve great things.”
“It’s a great honour to be the first community in Canada to host RoseAnne Archibald, the newly elected AFN National Chief,” says Chief Maureen Luggi, Wet’suwet’en First Nation Chief.
“She’s had a very full calendar, meeting with our elders, hereditary chiefs and students who have won awards. But she’s also had time to meet with chiefs across Northern British Columbia to learn about our communities and listen to many of our concerns and challenges about housing, access to clean drinking water, issues with both the provincial and federal governments and their ongoing secret negotiations under the 2020 MOU with the Office of the Wet’suwet’en. We are all so very grateful to host the national nhief here in our community to share our concerns. We believe that in this historic role as the first matriarch national chief of the AFN, she will bring historic changes to Indigenous people across Canada.”
National Chief RoseAnne Archibald is currently on a national tour to meet chiefs across the country after her recent election as the AFN’s first woman national chief.