Heiltsuk passes constitution

· Castanet
Maxwell Johnson joined by Heiltsuk Chief Marilyn Slett answers questions during a press conference in Bella Bella, B.C., on Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad HipolitoPhoto: The Canadian Press

The Heiltsuk Nation has approved the adoption of a written constitution for the First Nation on British Columbia's central coast.

The nation says 67 per cent of the 725 people who voted on the referendum were in favour of the constitution.

It says voting this month came after about two decades of development and consultation.

That included six months of engagement with more than 2,000 Heiltsuk members in Bella Bella, Nanaimo and Vancouver.

Elected Chief Marilyn Slett says she felt "pride and happiness" upon hearing the result, calling the written constitution a "reclamation" of Heiltsuk ways.

She says the document, which will be ratified in May, lays out a legal framework for self-governance and will help guide others who want to work with the nation.

"It's a new day for our Heiltsuk people," she said in an interview Friday. "It's us charting our course forward based on our laws, our values and our beliefs."

Hereditary Chief Elroy White said the constitution "reflects the deep history of our people and the ancient governance structure that existed prior to colonization."

"It's been a long time for us," he said in an interview.

"It's so important to have something written for the membership to be proud of and understand that this is accountable and transparent, and this means that our voice (will be) at tables."

White initially said the First Nation's new laws "won't take over any other laws," but the Nation later clarified that "questions about paramountcy will need to be worked out."

It said in a news release Friday that the constitution also underwent a legal review, and the referendum was conducted by an independent electoral officer.

Slett says the next steps to implement the constitution will be "developing core laws" for the nation, which will cover issues such as land management and language.

"We'll move to developing those laws and having our celebration and ratification feast on May 30, (which) will be a big step for our community move forward with the implementation," she said.