Despite making up nearly 5% of the province’s population, only 7 out of the 1,100 municipal leaders in B.C are First Nations. This webinar highlights a new partnership between the First Nations Leadership and Governance Association (FNLGA) and Climate Caucus, with leadership from Councillor Michael Moses, to strengthen inclusive local governance across the province. Participants will learn about the barriers First Nations candidates face in accessing municipal leadership, strategies to increase representation and how we can all contribute to supporting equitable municipal representation.
The session provides an opportunity to connect with community members, local leaders, and partners to collaborate, share experiences and discuss how to support.
Speaker:
Councillor Michael Moses
Michael Moses is the Executive Director & Founder of the First Nations Leadership and Governance Association, whose main goals are to assist First Nations people in getting involved in politics and having their voices heard. Michael has been a member of the Climate Caucus for 3 years and believes the views shared by the Climate Caucus and First Nations are most often parallel. Michael’s background includes serving as a City Councillor for the City of Williams Lake and on the executive of the Union of BC Municipalities and the Reconciliation Table for the Green Municipal Fund. Although Michael is now nonpartisan, he has also served as a Vice President of the BC NDP.
About First Nations Leadership and Governance Association
FNLGA’s goal is to recruit, train, mentor and support potential First Nations candidates to run in elections in British Columbia for City Councillor, School Trustee and Regional Director positions. Our non-profit non-partisan cultural sensitive approach will ensure that our province has First Nations representation in all forms of government with all points of view. Indigenous voices belong at every decision-making table. Next, we will support First Nations in joining strong Boards of Directors, from local to federal, while providing a support network for elected First Nations delegates. We know from experience the stresses, hardships, and even racism that an elected delegate faces. One of our goals is to provide a peer support network to assist each other in dealing with these hard issues, and to share our celebrations with.
