Kwey Kakina!

Shawn Allen Jerome nindijnikaz. As many of you are aware, I have been nominated for Kitigan Zibi
Anishinabeg [KZA] Council and I would like to say kichi meegwech to Dr. Wesley Cote and Gloria Decontie, I
am truly humbled by your belief in me. I am so honored to be acknowledged as a potential advocate for our
members and am eager do this work for the people of Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg should I be elected.

For those of you that are not familiar with me and who I am, let me
introduce myself; Most people know me as “Bean”, son of Johnny Chabot
and Wendy Jerome, Grand-Son to former KZA WWII Veteran, Michael
Chabot and Great-Grandson to KZA’s last Traditional Chief John B. Chabot. I
am a father to 5 super fantastic brilliant abinodjishig and married to a
beautiful Anishinabeg Ikwe named Cheyanne Ratt. I have worked for the
Kitigan Zibi community for 20+ years and I have lived here my entire life. I
was brought into this world by two young parents and was raised by my
family, my community and my 105 brethren; they have all contributed to my
upbringing and made me the person I am today and I will be forever
indebted to them for this gift. My values are grounded in respect, respect for the land and respect for our
elders. Since a young age, I have always felt a deep connection to the land because as everything in my life
changed, the land, it stayed the same, to me it always stayed home. As you can see in my childhood
picture, my motto in life is simple: “Life is the Bush” and now more than ever I think it is absolutely
necessary to progressively go back to our traditional ways. We are woven into the land and all our
teachings have transcended time, this is how resilient our bloodlines are, this is how resilient our guiding
principles and the laws of nature are. This resiliency must be acknowledged and accepted; our knowledge
has merit too.

Speaking of bloodlines, when my Great Grandfather John Chabot was Chief, he fiercely defended our rights
to hunt without interference and protected our traditional territories from resource extraction, mainly
lumber, KZA history will tell you this. It is in me to listen and advocate for our people in order to protect and
preserve our precious rights that are always being threatened and challenged by the corporate interests of
the Canadian Government.

That being said, we are aware of the problems that are impacting our community and below I have a list of
simple yet tangible concepts that I can offer to place KZA on a positive trajectory. This list is based on the
most pressing issues identified by community members at band meetings, social media platforms and
private conversations I have participated in:

Listen – I will listen, because I know how it is to speak up and your voice not be heard.

Respect – I will respect your beliefs and perspectives even if I may disagree.

Equality – I will treat you with dignity and respect regardless of your age, family connections, socio-
economic status, or what walk of life you come from, everyone deserves to be treated as an equal. I will
also take this a step further and ensure that all members are treated equally by KZA administration, health,
education, and law enforcement bodies.

Accountability – I will hold people accountable whether it be to an employment position, or a decision-

making process that requires further explanation, I will hold us accountable. In order to move forward,
clear resolve needs to take place and we must acknowledge areas to improve in order to push it forward as
a team. Your problems are our problems. Accountability goes both ways. We are all in this together and if
we work like this, we will grow like this.
Transparency – I will ensure transparency because leadership works for the people of the community and
the community has a right to access information, a right to be updated regularly on current issues as they
evolve, and also the right to know if important decisions are made that impact our lives. For example:

• Band meetings are infrequent with little to no transparency: I propose in addition to minutes, meetings
be documented by way of video and/or voice recordings. I also propose we re-establish the circle
formation, this is important for us in terms of equality and tradition. Dialogue is key, I will not tolerate a
culture of silence amongst leadership anymore. I also propose band meetings be held in different
settings and times to encourage growth and diversified community discussions. I also propose we have
a community feast at band meetings, this will help bring the people back together young and old.
• Settlement Monies: I will notify the community of past present and future plans for the allocation and
distribution of these funds, where the trust is being held, how much interest has or will be accrued,
account updates, and any decisions being made with regards to the community’s funds. To date no
agreement has been seen by KZA community members and this by any standard is not unacceptable.

Preservation – I will continue to fight for our rights, culture, lands and traditions whether I am a counselor
or not. This is very important work that we all need to be engaging in for our future generations. I will push
for the implementation of land-based learning projects and programs. I will challenge the current
curriculum and I will support alternative learning methods rooted in traditional knowledge. I will strongly
encourage and support culture groups and workshops that teach language, dance, ceremony, mishkiki,
harvesting, hunting, and traditional lodging practices etc.; all of which WILL take place in the land and KZA
Culture Building. I feel this building isn’t being used to its capacity and I would like to change this. I will
urge band and council to make it possible and easier for the people to return to the land and occupy our
territories and explore subsidiary options for those interested in reclaiming our spaces.

Progress – I will not accept the status quo. I will challenge the old way of thinking and I will promote a new
way of thinking and if we consider and RESPECT both ideologies, we will for once realize our true potential,
we are a powerful people.

• I will support, promote and actively seek traditional knowledge keepers, elders, youth, pipe carriers,
water protectors and land defenders to join us in our plight to re-establish our Traditional Systems of
Governance; just like what KZA has done with Quebec law, we can establish our own law and write
complimentary bylaws to support OUR law. Provincial law certainly has no place here.
• I will address the clearcutting, resource extraction and destruction of our traditional territories; this
includes demanding a seat on the ZEC’s and SEPAQ’s Board of Directors to ensure we have proper
representation at meetings where important decisions are made; this includes addressing the mere 1%
financial profit the forestry companies give to us while continuing to make billion dollar profits off our
lands; this includes capacity building and training for our members in useful courses such as heavy
machinery for road making, forestry work, camping, fishing, hunting, land defending (game warding)
and anything that goes on in our territory. We need to have not just “a” say, but the final say, we need
to not just be “at” the table, but leading the table, we need to reclaim our rightful places, we are the
guardians and caretakers of the land.
• I will explore new and unused opportunities for economic development to provide us with sustenance
and an opportunity for financial independence, whether it be a franchise like Wal-Mart instead of a 3rd
time Rona owned by a Non-Indigenous person ON reserve; or Restaurants and Catering businesses run
by us for us, we have so many talented chefs with so much business potential along highway 105; or
individually owned Cannabis dispensaries that have an endless potential to contribute to our growth
and economic sovereignty; or a Casino that will create an abundance of revenue and jobs, the
 opportunities are endless if we all put our minds together we can move forward together; by doing this
we will no longer be forced to accept band handouts but instead create real community growth.
• I will address the housing issue on reserve, there is no reason our families with children should be
without a safe home. There is no reason families should be waiting weeks months and even years for a
band house or rental unit and these families certainly shouldn’t be forced out of this community
because there is no safe place for them to call home. I will also push to build an apartment building or
rental complex to offset the current housing crisis we are in; this will give us time to review our current
housing policy and make changes as needed.
• I will make it a priority to create better living conditions for our elders even if this means relocating our
current elders’ home to a more suitable location that can accommodate growth. I will also make it a
priority to improve the working conditions for the employees responsible for caring for our knowledge
keepers. The current living and working conditions at Kiweda is dishonorable to say the least; the mold,
space, accessibility, underfunding, and understaffing issues negatively impact the overall well-being of
our people and is unacceptable. Our elders deserve better, our elders deserve the best our people can
offer, they took care of us for so long, it is our time to return the favor and put our gratitude and respect
into action.
• I will advocate for the development of a community recreation center to include an arena, gym, pool,
and all the things the community requested in our 2012 KZA Vision, we are already 8 years late and have
much catching up to do.
• I will address urban areas like Ottawa situated on our Traditional Territories without recourse, political
respect or government to government acknowledgement. We need to develop and expand our land
base within the urban settings to accommodate us and make spaces for us. For example, we need to
begin the process to build housing or apartment complexes for our students that are forced to leave
home to get an education. We need to take care of our people near and far, this will help dismantle the
“reserve” ideologies and constructs to help liberate and revolutionize our thoughts, mentalities,
ideologies, and ultimately people. Its time to think outside the Rez Box.

I have so many more ideas that I would like to share should I be given the opportunity to be an active voice
for the community. For now, I think these concepts once implemented, provide a solid foundation that
gives the people a strong sense of community and that’s what we need, each other. I promise I will walk
with you hand in hand to make sure your concerns are addressed and your needs are fulfilled. I will not
“refer” you away and I will not allow any community member to feel as though they have been left in the
dark because there is no question or concern that is below me. I promise to address your concerns with a
gentle and humble approach, you will never feel less than and I will do everything I can to help you feel
heard and validated. I truly believe in our community, our people, every single one of us has something to
offer, every single one of us has a story we can each learn from. Join me in our journey to new beginnings
by using our Traditional Teachings as our guiding principles. It is time to reclaim our identities and our
inherent rights as Anishinabeg People.

If I am elected, I will promise you this: I will go hard for you 8 days a week!

Kichi Meegwech Kakina,

Bean.