b'ORIGIN STORYto the table on their own terms, without being pressured to act before theywere ready.In addition to new negotiation models, FNMPC has supported changes in law and policy. This includes helping toshape the federal Indigenous Knowledge Policy Framework. We hosted the first national workshop with support fromthe federal government to engage with our people, says Ransom. That workis now being used by all federal environmental departments.The Coalition has also remained focused on its original vision: establishing government-backed loans that reduce the cost of capital for First Nations. These tools make it possible for communities todespite winning major court cases.Tait-Day supported the FNMPC fromtake ownership stakes in major projectsWe only won accommodation andthe start. It was a dream, a vision that and invest in their economic futures.consultation, and the ability to go back towas executed with precision andProjects like Coastal GasLink are a primecourt, she says. We werent happy. passion by Niilo Edwards, whose recent example where FNMPC members nowpassing has left a void in the hearts of hold equity and will benefit from long- She was the only woman in attendancemany, she says. Niilo was not just a term revenue streams. at one of the first FNMPC pitch meetings.leader but an inspirationa mover who EARLY VOICES While she saw the potential immediately,listened and acted on the voices of First One of the first supporters of FNMPCshe also remembers how hard it wasNations people.was Wetsuweten Hereditary Chiefto get others on board. The legacy ofFormer Chief Councillor of Gitsegukla Theresa Tait-Day. She has held hercolonialism and the confines of the IndianWillie Blackwater was another early hereditary name for 37 years and is theAct had led many to believe they couldvoice. A residential school survivor from fourth generation in her family to donot make their own economic decisions.Kispiox First Nation, Blackwater joined so. Raised by her great-grandmotherTait-Day challenged that thinking. Shethe Coalition while seeking solutions to and grandfather and trained by Elders,reminded those in the room that self- a financial deficit in his Nation. It was she brought deep knowledge ofdetermination starts with access to capitalmy job as the elected Chief to explore Indigenous law and governance to earlyand control over decisions. One way opportunities to get us out of that deficit, conversations about the Coalition. to get out of that box is having he says.Tait-Day had seen firsthand howresources and the ability to make yourWhile the Nation didnt initially qualify communities continued to live in poverty,own decisions. for large-scale support, FNMPC helped connect them to resources and tools that could support future growth. They help actualize the opportunities for Nations to become more self-reliant and self-funding, sustainable communities that rely less on the government.Blackwater brought board experience from the British Columbia Assembly of First Nations, Gitxsan Child and Family Services Society, and the National Indian Residential School Survivors Society. He saw FNMPCs work as a natural extension of that advocacy. We became the go-to people if industry had interest in doing business with our communities, he recalls. Though now retired, Blackwater says the door is never closed to working with the Coalition again.A LEGACY IN MOTIONThe Coalitions strength lies in the relationships that built it. Senator Gerry 18NATIONS FORWARDIssue 12025'