Far North Friday #92: Power and Politics

In a remote, First Nation community, I saw a pragmatic illustration “power and politics”.

Perhaps you are familiar with the game “rock, paper, scissors”, a game that has three possible outcomes: a draw, a win or a loss. Human nature dislikes loss. Conversely, some try to win, sometimes at all costs, but that does not build trust and a sense of collaboration and sharing. On the other hand, a draw has the appeal of allowing both players to share and enjoy the game.

So, what does that have to do with what I saw in a fly-in First Nation community?

We visited a fly-in community with an Ontario Government minister. The intent was for the minister to meet community members and their political leadership. These were important meetings because they broke down barriers, raised mutual awareness, and built personal connections.

I am not certain how you view Government ministers. I learned to respect the position and I respected most of the ministers I got to know. When a minister beckoned, you immediately dropped everything to respond. That was not exactly what happened during the minister’s community visit.

First some context. Sometimes a First Nation band finds itself in debt. The Federal government intervenes through a process called third-party management. Outside managers are appointed to control the financial affairs of the indebted First Nation. The First Nation that the minister was to visit was under third party management. One of Canada’s large banks was also involved in the third party management. The bank financial officers had a visit scheduled with the band leadership on the same day as our minister’s visit. Unfortunately, the bank officials arrived at the same time as the minister.

“That will be interesting. How will the Chief juggle this”, I mused! “How would I handle this?”

How would you have handled this - two groups of important visitors at the same time?

The Chief’s decision interested me. The Chief chose to meet first with the bank officials! He asked the minister, his political staff, and we, the technical officials, to wait in a small office while he met with the bank officials. After about 30 minutes, the Chief came into the office where we waited and invited the minister to join him, with the council members, in a slightly larger office. The meeting with the Chief and Council went well. After the meeting, the minister and his political team flew off. I remained in the community to attend to my project business.

I thought all day about the Chief’s decision. That night, I had dinner with the Chief and his wife. I asked him about his decision. His explanation was quite pragmatic. Political parties come and go. Political ministers come and go. But, bankers. Well, until the band’s financial debt was paid off, those bankers and the external manager controlled the financial reins of the community. They held the power. Addressing the directions of the third party managers was critical to the band. That was the Chief’s first priority. He held no disrespect toward the minister. It was a pragmatic decision.

I witnessed a high stakes game of “rock, paper, scissors”. The Chief sought a draw in the world of  “power and politics”, but the Chief understood who held the power.

December 9/22; Facebook Dec. 9/22