Constitution Gathering 3 Summary

Our future. Our voices. Our way. 

On January 26^th, about 200 Squamish People attended the Constitution Gathering 3.  We met at Totem Hall, Chief Joe Mathias Centre and online. Project staff heard very positive feedback from those who participated. We’re excited about our upcoming meetings!

What happened at this meeting?

We started with a hot lunch for Squamish People who joined in person. Wellness support was also available for anyone who wanted it. Once the online participants joined us, the meeting  was formally opened by Welhtima Kexwusem Youth Dance group at  the Totem Hall. 

The Gathering started with opening remarks from Constitution Manager Danielle Mellish.  She reviewed what was shared  at the Project Kickoff and Gathering 1 and 2, including sample statements from those sessions.  Danielle also shared all the ways project staff are engaging with our People near and far.  It’s so important to hear everyone’s voice for this project!

At this meeting we changed the format.  There were three stations that each had a set of questions.  The themes of the questions were: Working Together, Our Language, and Our Territory.  Attendees were invited to participate in small group discussions at each station, or they could work on their own.

Attendees were also welcomed to ask questions throughout. At the end of the Gathering, a total of 6 door prizes were drawn and awarded. 2 at each location and 2 to online participants. The day closed with some drumming and singing at the Chief Joe Mathias Centre location and a final thank you for attending and invitation to the next Gathering.  

What was shared?

Here’s what was shared at the Gathering:

• A recap of the Project Kickoff, and Gathering 1 and Gathering 2
• A summary of what we’ve heard so far from Squamish People on this project
• Updates on the community engagement happening outside of Gatherings
  • Info Booths at community events, including:
    • Youth BBQ
    • Youth Powwow
    • International Indigenous Peoples Day
    • Pride Parade & Celebration
    • Amalgamation Day
    • Distribution Days x2
  • Special meetings with Elders in North Vancouver and Squamish
  • Special meetings with the Ayas Lam Family program in Squamish 
  • Info Session with our Squamish People in Seattle, Washington 
  • Family Dinners  
  • Craft and chat events
  • Door Knocking on Squamish reserves
• Overview of other engagement tools we’re using to reach Squamish People
  • Online tools: Website, Facebook and Instagram, X (Twitter), YouTube, Snapchat (ads only), TikTok (ads only), emails, surveys
  • Phone tools: Text messages, phone calls 
  • Mailed tools: Booklet, flyers in the newsletter and mailouts in the post
• A quick review of “What is a Constitution” and topics that might be included in a Constitution 
• An overview of the large Gatherings, including Family dinners and how to sign up
• The topics for discussion at the next Gathering 4:
  • Dispute Resolution 
  • Law Making 
  • Agreements 
  • Amending The Constitution 

In the small group discussions, Squamish People could  write down their thoughts in the booklets provided.  A dedicated facilitator was at each site and online to help attendees participate and capture all of the responses from our People. Those answers and discussions will be used by the Constitution Working Group to write the first draft of our Constitution. The facilitators guided the process to answer these questions:

• Our Language 
  • How should the commitments described in the Generational Plan be reflected in the Constitution? 
  •  What parts did you like or specifically spoke to you?  
• Our Territory 
  • What should we – as a Nation – have authority over in our lands, waters and air?  
  • How do we protect our lands, waters and air for our future generations?  
• Working Together 
  • How did we work together as a community traditionally? Provide some examples.  
  • How does this apply to the relationship between leadership and community today? 
  • How does this apply to administration, including financial management?  

It’s not too late to share your thoughts on these questions. We are still collecting information  from Squamish People. You can answer these questions and more on our website: https://constitutionproject.net/resource/constitution-survey/.  Questions are skippable, so feel free to select which questions you’d like to answer.

It has come to our attention that some People may have left the meeting with some of their written answers to these questions. If they participated online they may not have emailed them back to us.  Please make sure your notes and thoughts are included in this important project by getting  them to us.  

If you attended the online meeting and you typed into the fillable PDF questions booklet, be sure to send a copy of it to our email address info@constitutionproject.net.  If you used paper and pen, you can take a picture of your notes and  send that along to us in an email as well.  

If you attended the in-person meeting at either Chief Joe Mathias Centre or at Totem Hall, you may have written down some  thoughts in the grey and black booklets with plain lined paper that were handed out. Or you may have taken your questionnaire booklet home with you. If you did, you can take a photo of those notes and send it in an email to us at info@constitutionproject.net OR you can make arrangements to get it to us in person. 

What was learned?

Squamish People who attended had so many incredible things to share about our language, Territory and the way we work together. Below are some samples of what was shared. 

Our Language ~ How should the commitments described in the Generational Plan be reflected in the Constitution? What parts did you like or specifically spoke to you?  Some of the feedback we heard are as follows;

• The generational plan states that the Squamish language is used in the titles, name places & departments, so I believe this should be related in the Constitution. Squamish language should be included in the Constitution, but should be inclusive to non-Squamish speakers. Keeping English included. 
• Have more Squamish first English translations. SN Emails are nice with greetings sign off. We should have more audio  available- radio, songs. Brand away from colonial terms. That law jargon does not make sense to us. We need everyone to understand what we are talking about & doing.
• I like using language in a way that’s accessible and inviting, not ‘excluding’ those who don’t understand it yet. Balance for both Squamish + English. Including the language. 

Our Territory ~ What should we – as a Nation – have authority over in our lands, waters and air? How do we protect our lands,  waters and air for our future generations?  

• Environmental regulations 
• Can our constitution address how, when, and under what circumstances we collaborate and share our lands with our neighbouring nations?
• Land use plan, Federal Government, we have use of land from territory vs reserves and what do we have authority 
• Protecting our lands with our traditional laws. using the least amount of a footprint. start doing long-term planning (planting old growth cedars and protecting second growths so they can become our next Ancestors)

Working Together ~ How did we work together as a community traditionally? Provide some examples. How does this apply to  the relationship between leadership and community today? How does this apply to administration, including financial  management? 

• A working together relationship is a key value. Establishing a safe place for dialogue to hear all voices as we work on mutually beneficial goals for all. Having our Squamish values at the forefront as our guiding principles – shared and  understood by all – based on our teachings. Respect, love, care, kindness, discipline, humility, trust, generosity. This is our snewayelh. Having great conversation brings us back to these basics and honours the ways of our ancestors 
• Familial respect and humility. Respecting another family’s ways of doing things may not be the same way your family does it but it doesn’t make them less or even less Squamish. 

How many People attended the Gathering?

• 69 online participants 
• 29 Totem Hall * some People didn’t sign-in so attendance was likely higher 
• 80 Chief Joe Mathias Centre signed in, but we believe it was more, * some People didn’t sign-in, so attendance was  likely higher 

The transportation schedule was shared ahead of this Gathering. The opportunity to take advantage of child-minding and door  prizes was also advertised. The door prize winners are:  

Chief Joe Mathias Centre  

•Russell Miranda – $200 Save On Foods gift card  

•Cynthia Baker – $100 WalMart Choice gift card  

Totem Hall  

• Nalani Joseph – $200 Save On Foods gift card  

• Elizabeth Jacobs – $100 WalMart Gift Card  

Online  

• Karen Johnson – $200 Walmart Gift Card 

• Yvonne Wyss– $100 Amazon Gift Card 

If there is anything you would like to share, please contact our Engagement Officer Yususult, Rosemarie (Rose) Williams, on  604-982-8600 or Rosemarie_Williams@squamish.net. 

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