b'MESSAGE FROM THE CEOMESSAGE FROM THE CEOMESSAGE DE LADIRECTRICE GNRALEJanice CiavagliaW elalioq W elalioqIts been said many times throughout 2020,Cela a t ditmaintes reprises tout au long de but this year has certainly been unprecedented.lanne 2020, mais cette anne a certainement Weve faced challenge after challenge globally,t sans prcdent. Nous avons fait facede nationally and locally. From the devastating COVID-19nombreux dfis au niveau mondial, national et local. De la pandemic to the protests against systemic racism to the ongoingpandmie dvastatrice de la COVID 19 aux manifestations fight for our inherent and Treaty rights to be recognized andcontre le racisme systmique, en passant par la lutte upheld, we have been asked to come up against many obstacles.permanente pour la reconnaissance et le respect de nos droits inhrents et nos droits issus de traits, nous avons d faire face And though it is difficult to see the positive from where we de nombreux obstacles. Et bien quil soit difficile de voir les stand in the midst of these trials, there is much for us be proudlments positifs de notre situation au milieu de ces preuves, il of and to take pride in.y a beaucoup de choses dont nous pouvons tre fiers.I see positivity in the way we have built and upheld communityJe vois de manire positive la faon dont nous avons construit during this trying time. Nations have come together to supportet maintenu notre sens de la communaut pendant cette priode one another and ensure that we are all safe and well. Storiesdifficile. Les nations ont uni leurs forces pour se soutenir of people of all ages volunteering their time to care for theirmutuellement et veillerce que nous soyons tous en scurit et Elders through acts of kindnessfrom buying and deliveringen bonne sant. Les histoires de personnes de tous ges qui ont donn de leur temps pour prendre soin de leurs ans par des groceries and supplies to writing letters to stave off loneliness actes de gentillesse - de lachat et de la livraison de provisions show the true resilience and solidarity that we, as First Nations,et de fournituresla rdaction de lettres pour viter la solitude are known for. Each act of giving back is an act of love that- montrent la vritable rsilience et la solidarit pour lesquelles Continued on page 12 suitela page 12Disclaimer: The advertisers herein are not supported by or endorsed by the Assembly of First NationsWhile we are grateful for the support of all of our advertisers, they are in no way affiliated or endorsed by the Assembly of First Nations The Circle is printedEditor: Published by:President: The contents of this publication may annually for theJustyne Essery Kevin Brown not be reproduced by any means, Assembly of FirstSenior Design Specialist: Senior Vice-President: in whole or in part, without the prior Nations. Krista Zimmermann 33 South Station StreetRobert Thompson written consent of the association.55 Metcalfe Street, Suite 1600Design Specialist: North York, OntarioM9N 2B2 Marisa Giesbrecht Phone: 1-866-480-4717Director, Publication Mail Agreement Ottawa, ONK1P 6L5Business Development: #40787580Phone: 613-241-6789Contributing Writers: robertt@mediaedge.caAshley Albert, Nikita Day, Michael BellToll Free: 1-866-869-6789Christine Miskonoodinkwe-Smith 531 Marion StreetBranch Manager: Please ReturnFax: 613-241-5808Winnipeg, MBR2J 0J9Undeliverable Copies To: www.afn.ca Sales Executives: Nancie PrivBill Biber, Brenda Ezinicki, Toll Free: 1-866-201-3096Assembly of First Nations Publisher: Pat Johnston, Dawn Stokes, Fax: 204-480-4420Published December 2020 55 Metcalfe Street, Suite 1600 Maurice LaBorde David Tetlock www.mediaedgepublishing.com All rights reserved. Ottawa, ONK1P 6L5THE CIRCLE is printed on 10% post-consumer FSC certified paper using soya based inks. When necessary to mail an issue in an enclosure, we use an environmentally-friendly, 100% oxo-degradable poly-wrap.'