By all accounts, it was a positive experience for several northern Saskatchewan leaders in Ottawa this week.
Leaders from Fond du Lac, Hatchet Lake, Pinehouse, English River and Black Lake were in the nation’s capital to meet with federal officials about the positive partnerships between their communities and industry leaders. Representatives from the Prince Albert Grand Council, Athabasca Basin Development, and Des Nehe Developments were also on hand for the meetings.
“(This trip) was something we have been talking about for a long time,” said Cameco CEO Tim Gitzel. “There is a lot of negative news about Aboriginals and companies not being able to work together… We’re not perfect, but we think we have a healthy relationship and we wanted that known on a federal level.”
The two days of meetings began on Tuesday and ran into Wednesday night with a reception to finish off the unprecedented trip.
The northern leaders were split into two separate groups with one group speaking on education and the other group on infrastructure. The leaders say these are the two most important areas to address to help the residents of northern Saskatchewan move forward. They presented federal officials with the positive growth seen in these areas by the collaboration between their communities and Cameco.
Mike Natomagan, Mayor of Pinehouse, says Cameco has been a vital partner to their community. Natomagan says it was good to communicate that to many federal officials. He also says these meetings has allowed them to discuss even more partnerships on a federal level.
“We needed to step up as northerners to make connections at the federal level and how we can make our communities better through federal funds,” said Natomagan.
The northern leaders also spoke with the officials about struggles they still face and how new partnerships need to arise to address these issues.
“Those are the things we wanted to accomplish,” said Chief Marie Black of English River First Nation. “We wanted to show them what we have done, but now it is time for a partnership on the federal level to see what we can do and that is what we hoped we gained and I know we have done that.”
Throughout the two days of meetings, the leaders were able to meet with representatives from all three major political parties and the departments of Natural Resources and Aboriginal Affairs.
Greg Rickford, Minister of Natural Resources, spoke very positively about the meetings. Rickford says he was able to appreciate their purpose on a personal level. In his younger days, he spent time as a nurse in remote First Nations communities like Pelican Narrows.
“I have come to understand and appreciate the partnerships Cameco has developed with First Nation communities,” said Rickford. “These partnerships tell us that this is the way it has to be done going forward…Cameco and the First Nation communities are doing this better than anyone else and we should all pay attention to that.”
While many of the leaders spoke positively about the two days of meetings, they did say they were quite tired when it was all said and done.