Lennox Island Chief Darlene Bernard is retiring after nearly 20 years in position
‘I see lots of future leaders all around me, and I feel confident that I can pass the torch’
After nearly two decades in leadership, Chief of Lennox Island First Nation Darlene Bernard is stepping down.
In a letter to her community this week, Bernard said she will not seek re-election, calling it "one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make."
She first served as chief from 2001 to 2013, then returned to the role six years ago.
"I see so many great things happening and I've been leading the charge. It's almost heartbreaking to say, oh, you know, you've got to let go all that kind of stuff," she told CBC News.
"It was hard for me to walk away from a leadership role because… you become who you are. Like, you know, you're the chief, you're the leader, and it becomes your life."
Bernard said community members have trusted her to help them with their concerns and issues over the years. But she acknowledged that after all this time, the weight of leadership has become "a really heavy load" — especially through recent challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic, damage from post-tropical storms, and the ongoing work to implement and protect treaty rights.
"I see lots of future leaders all around me, and I feel confident that I can pass the torch, and the work that I've done will continue to move forward," she said.
Bernard will remain in office until a new chief is elected. The band's election is scheduled for June 14.
Goals achieved
Bernard said she feels this is the right moment to step down because she has accomplished the goals she set out during her most recent term.
That includes building strong relationships with governments, which helped lead to the development of the Pituamkek National Park Reserve located a chain of islands off the province's North Shore.
Along with Abegweit First Nation Chief Junior Gould, Bernard signed an agreement with Parks Canada last summer for co-governance of the Pituamkek National Park Reserve, following nearly two decades of negotiations.
"We secured a brand-new wharf, a fire hall," Bernard added. We're working on our bridge and we brought in all kinds of homes and all these great things."
She also mentioned her work with L'nuey, the organization representing the Island's two First Nations, as a key accomplishment.
"We've done such great work to help all Islanders, all Epekwitnewaq have a better understanding of treaty rights and that we're here, we have a shared history together and that together, we can reach reconciliation," she said.
Bernard added that while she won't be in office to see some major projects come to life — including the proposed Na'ku'set Sun Park solar farm in Mount Pleasant and the Wejipek Wind Project in the Kinkora area — she is proud of the groundwork that's been laid.
"I'm not going to be here to see them become operational, but certainly I'll be watching from afar and cheering them on."
Ongoing challenges
While much has been achieved, Bernard said key challenges remain, particularly issues surrounding the federal Indian Act and how that affects the recognition of Indigenous children in the future.
Many members of Indigenous communities in Canada have also raised concerns about the Indian Act's second generation cut-off rule, which says that after two generations of "out-parenting," Indian status cannot be transmitted to a child. In many instances, this prevents First Nations people from passing on Indian status to their descendants.
A United Nations committee last year called on Canada to overhaul the Indian Act to remove discrimination against women and their descendants, and to eliminate the second generation cut-off rule.
Bernard said many children in her community, including her own grandchildren, are affected by that system.
"My grandchildren… they should be on the list. Half of them are, and half of them are not, depending on who they're, who my children are married to, whether they're status or not status," she said.
"They are our children, they should be recognized. They should be the beneficiaries of our treaties and stuff. It's a ridiculous system, and it needs to be addressed."
Bernard said L'nuey will continue to push for changes.
"It continues to be a challenge for us to have self-determination in our communities and jurisdiction over how we do things here," she said.
"There'll always be challenges for our people, but it's how we meet those challenges. If we meet those challenges with an open mind, with the spirit of reconciliation, then we can solve the problems and move forward."
What's next
As for her own future, Bernard said she's keeping an open mind.
"I need to have some rest. I'm going to take the summer and take some time with my family.
"And then I will have to go back to work. I'm only 61 years old, and I think that I have a lot of knowledge that I have that maybe I can bring to a table somewhere. Somebody might want me."
With files from Island Morning