CKLB reached out to each candidate for chief in the four Tłı̨chǫ communities.
The same three questions were asked to each candidate and here is what they had to say.
The transcription has been edited for clarity and accuracy.
Wekweètì
Adeline Football is running for chief of Wekweètì. (Photo courtesy of Adeline Football.)
Adeline Football
Q: So tell me, why are you running for chief?
A: I think running for chief will get me to talk for the community, and to help the community members on employment and programming that we want delivered. I’ve been working for the Tłı̨chǫ government, and I’ve done a lot of programming and projects in the community.
So running for chief will get me to do more in the community for programming and employment and other things that needs to be done.
Q: What’s gonna be your main policy, your main goal, if you are elected?
A: My main goal would be getting our youth in the community to work closely with their Elders in the community. Also, because our community is so small, we have lack of employment. And a lot of people are wanting to work, but we don’t have that.
So I would really would love to improve that. Maybe create more employment in the community, do some more projects and programs. Stuff like that, that I really would like to look into and see if I can maybe create that in the next four years.
Listen to Mary Rose Blackduck’s interview with Adeline Football in Tłı̨chǫ Yati
Q: And what would you do to create those programs?
A: I know that I have a community director that I would be working closely with. I would look for programs that would best fit in the community. That would benefit the Elders and the youth and especially promoting our culture and way of life.
So I do a lot of on-the-land programming. And I try to make partnerships with the community government and also with the school. So with that, it creates jobs. It’s not like a permanent job, but it does give a little work to those that are needing income.
And it also gives them the opportunity to work with the youth and also with the Elders. That is what I am currently doing and I would like to improve that as well.
Wekweètì Chief Charles Football was the first to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in the community. (Photo by Luke Carroll/ CKLB Radio.)
Charles Football
Q: Just tell me why you decided to run for re-election?
A: I’m not the one asking myself to run for chief, it’s my people that asked me to run.
Q: My question second question is what do you think is the biggest issue facing Wekweètì right now?
A: We don’t have anything like you guys have in Yellowknife. The cost of living is too much. But we still hang onto our ancestor trails and our culture.
Q: If you’re reelected what is your plan to deal with these issues?
A: I would try as much as I could but right now it’s pretty hard because of COVID-19, we don’t have enough heavy equipment to be out in the bush, just to break in trails. On top of that we don’t know what’s going to happen this coming winter.
But we’d be looking forward to do that kind of stuff. We’d like to do a lot of good stuff for our community. But we haven’t had an SAO in our community for nine or 10 months in Wekweètì, but finally we got one.
Listen to Mary Rose Blackduck’s interview with Charles Football in Tłı̨chǫ Yati
