Manataba Messenger

Page 5 PLATFORM FRANCINE STEWART TRIBAL COUNCIL CANDIDATE SPECIAL ELECTION JULY 6, 2021 I am running for tribal council because with 35 + years of working in both the work and volunteer sectors; it is this experience ---that has given me a first-hand look at our people, our government, and our challenges. This is why I am running for the CRIT Tribal Council. As the daughter of an environmental woman activist, I was taught that I had no restrictions in life, but that a life of giving is hard, there is no fame or glory in it, whether mentoring people in need, distributing food for the hungry, or advocating for the homeless, you must gen- uinely care first about the results of this work and that's it. Like all of us, my home, my Indigenous roots, are the base of who I am, and this is an amazing place to call home because of our diversity, vibrant cultures, and historical uniqueness. But sadly, the time has come to acknowledge that some of us have been left behind, and it's not ok with me. Because of my volunteerism, I've seen first-hand the worst of situations, which is one of the many reasons I want to repre- sent you. I believe that our people need to be our number one investment. We are a tribe because of our members, first and foremost. How can we go out into the world and claim any successes as long as we have tribal members without homes, elderly without proper basic needs, and chil- dren left behind because of lack of programs to fully help them devel- op into successful adults? Investing in much-needed infrastructure has to happen now. These are the fundamentals of life here, having access to public drinking water, housing, internet---for tribal members, this is what matters, what-- really ---matters. Without the care, investment, and support of the needs of our Tribal Members coming first, what good is our sovereignty, water deals, and being first to get this grant or first to do this or that without your peo- ple living at a level our Tribal Constitution says we have a right to? Article 3 Section 2 states—All members have certain inherent rights, namely THE ENJOYMENT OF LIFE, liberty, and the enjoyment of acquiring and owning possessions and pursuing happiness and safety. We must get back to the basics, the fundamentals, which is the people. The people are the foundation of this government. If they are not healthy, strong, and able, then neither is our government. The time of no more broken promises is here. Affordable housing is a fundamental human right—there is none. The end of life should be as cherished as the beginning—our beliefs dictate it-- we need our own nursing home now, and community transportation is vital. These are just three, but there are so many. The tribal employment process is too long; more tribal members need opportunities to be in critical positions, tribal members who have homes need them evaluated and improvements made, we as tribal members need to be looked at as individuals. We are not such a large tribe that we cannot be seen as people and not just a process. Until each of us is valued as a tribal member and feels like we are important and contributors to our tribe's success, I fear becoming a lost nation. If a tribal member is homeless or addicted to drugs, that is our problem. If a tribal member cannot find a place to live, that is our prob- lem. If the elderly are getting by on inadequate cooling or heating, that is our problem. Tribal members need to feel included, engaged with, so do our depart- ments and entities. The old way of doing things doesn't work any- more; COVID 2020 has taught us this. We need to get people working and genuinely living the way our Constitution says we have a right to. We need our tribe to invest in us the way we invest in them. If elected, I'll be a practical, passionate, and positive advocate champi- oning the best outcomes for our tribal members. As a long-time employee who has extensive experience on how our tribal government works, I've witnessed first-hand what past administration's priorities have been and where the tribal member's needs have been met and not met. Our community must push the council to represent everyone, the trib- al members living on or off the reservation, the tribal members that don't have the support of large families, the tribal members that are not landowners that benefit from lease every month, the tribal mem- bers that have faced the hardships of the past COVID year alone because they didn't qualify for the extras or they don't live here to receive the aid given out. CRIT cannot consider itself successful until ALL OF US are successful. Maybe you don't have much hope that your vote will make a change, this is understandable no one knows your perspective or your cir- cumstances, and when you feel that you are not heard- nothing ever seems to change. But by getting out and voting, you have the power to make a government more representative of our community. Our real community. It would be my honor to represent you. Vote for me so I can vote for you—ALL OF YOU. VOTE FOR FRANCINE STEWART ON JULY 6, 2021