'Time to stand strong and together': Gerry Cheezie on Dene Nation candidacy
The next Dene National Chief will be elected on July 24.
Voting will open on July 14. Ballots can be cast online, or in-person, at the Dene National Assembly in Fort Good Hope in July.
There are a record six candidates in the running this year and as campaigns get underway, NNSL Media reached out to the six candidates with a set of identical questions.
Here is what we received from Gerry Cheezie.
What is your age?
"Not as old as Joe Biden."
Where do you live?
Ndilo.
What is your experience?
"I have held key roles such as, presently, chair of the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority, housing and public works coordinator for Smith's Landing First Nation, and program advisor for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation. I was band manager for Smith's Landing First Nation and general manager of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation Housing Division.
"I've served as Chief of Smith's Landing First Nation, Southern Vice-Chief of the Dene Nation Office, and Chief of the Fitz/Smith Indian Band. My committee work includes leadership positions with the Assembly of First Nations Technical Committee on Housing, the Yellowknife Homelessness Coalition, and the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation Board of Directors."
What made you decide to run for the position?
"Since the 1970s, when we all had fire in our bellies for our land and treaty rights, the Dene have not progressed much despite all our work and struggles. While some have succeeded, many people still face high unemployment, low graduation rates, high demand for cultural addiction treatment, and a housing crisis. These burdens fall only on the Dene and the solutions are with the Dene. I felt something had to be done. How could I call on others if I was not prepared to stand up for the future of my children and grandchildren?
"We have strong Dene governments, strong families, a younger generation ready to take flight. Now is the time to restore the Dene Nation as a powerful voice for all Dene. Too long we have sat by while our peoples, lands and waters are under extreme pressure. Time to stand strong and together. That is my vision and pledge to the Dene people."
Wildfires are becoming a recurring threat to NWT communities. What should be the Dene Nation’s role in addressing this?
"Each community has a Dene government. They and their regional counterparts must be included in any emergency planning for fires, floods, and droughts. Community preparedness must be properly funded. It can’t all go to Yellowknife. The role of the Dene Nation is to be in the room when decisions are being made at the highest levels of the GNWT and federal governments. The Dene Nation is there to ensure the resources available are divided properly and fairly and must have a direct hand in overseeing how the money is spent and information communicated.
"We saw how Dene were treated when they were rounded up and sent South. The stories we’ve heard are not good. The Dene Nation must have an Emergency Preparedness and Response Department. Non-Indigenous government officials need to know who to call when territorial a crisis breaks loose."
A shortage of housing is a widespread problem. How would you propose to get more homes built in the near future?
"Much of my professional life has been in the housing industry. I’ve learned that less talking and more building, the better it is for families who need a home. NWT Housing Corp. (Housing NWT) is all talk and no action. Our Dene governments have shown they can deal directly with the federal government and get the job done the way their people need it done. The Dene Nation’s role should be to consolidate and assist these regional efforts.
"By consolidate, I mean learning from each other on best practices and designs, trades training opportunities for our people, even leveraging collective buying power to get the best pricing. It’s Dene families who need homes, not government workers. It makes no sense to trust the GNWT with such a heavy responsibility. Dene must take charge of Dene housing. We once built log homes for ourselves. What happened to that?"
How damaging to relations with the Dene Nation was the GNWT’s caribou seizure from the Lutsel K’e Dene First Nation’s culture camp in September 2022? How would you like to see this resolved?
"That illegal invasion of Dene territory demonstrates the GNWT cabinet's customary disrespect for both Dene law and Dene governments. It surprised no Dene that the GNWT did it, then hid it behind the Speaker’s chair. What should have happened was a joint investigation involving Lutsel K’e Chief James Marlowe and band council. The GNWT’s ‘evidence’ could have been shared with Lutsel K’e and together the facts determined. The outcome could have been beneficial to all parties, people and the caribou. Instead the GNWT acted with a flawed search warrant, harassed Dene elders and hunters in a traditional hunting camp, and then pretended nothing bad had happened. Shame on them. Anything the GNWT does now is way too late."
The federal government recently contributed $5 million to advance a Denendeh Investments-operated prospective iron, copper and gold mine near Great Bear Lake. How important is mining to the NWT’s economy?
"Mining is very important in the North because it gives people jobs and money. But, besides money, mining should also help our communities by building things we need, training workers, and giving scholarships to Dene students. Right now, we depend on the GNWT schools to prepare our young Dene for jobs. Even after trying for 30 or 40 years, only 29 percent of Indigenous people have jobs with the GNWT. This shows that we need better education close to home. Did any Dene Chief ask for a polytechnic university on Tin Can Hill? I don't know of any who did, and they were not asked. We need schools in our communities so young Dene can get good jobs on their own land. Aurora College should focus on this to help our young people succeed."
Tom Taylor, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, NWT News/North
