Governance Reform
The November 27, 2022 sƛ̓ənəq ordered Band Council to present a new Governance Code to the Kwantlen people. The Governance Code must be drafted based on the consensus of the May 2021 report by Four Directions Management. That report included a symbolic Hereditary Chief and an enlarged and elected Council. To prepare the new governance code, the Kwantlen Band Council has accepted the support of two of Canada’s leading experts on Indigenous governance, Dr Veldon Coburn (University of Ottawa), and Dr Damien Lee (Toronto Metropolitan University).
Dr Veldon Coburn (University of Ottawa)
Veldon Coburn is an assistant professor at the University of Ottawa’s Institute of Indigenous Research and Studies. Veldon is Anishinaabe, a member of the Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn. Veldon’s primary research focus is on Indigenous politics and policy in Canada.
Dr Damien Lee (Toronto Metropolitan University)
Dr. Damien Lee is a member of Fort William First Nation and a citizen of the Anishinaabe nation. He was adopted into his rez as a baby and raised as Anishinaabe by his family. Dr Lee is an Assistant Professor & Canada Research Chair in Biskaabiiyang and Indigenous Political Resurgence
The new Governance Code was completed on Wednesday, December 7th, 2022, and is open for Kwantlen citizen feedback until December 23rd, 2022