The Chief and the band council

The Atikamekw Council of Manawan consists of the Chief of the Council and all six councilors elected for a term of 4 years. The Council consists of the following:

  • Jean-Roch Ottawa, chief
  • Céline Quitich, councilor
  • Francine Dubé, councilor
  • Karina Ottawa, councilor
  • Jolianne Ottawa, councilor
  • Daniel Niquay, councilor
  • Annick Flamand, councilor

Role of the council

Members of the Atikamekw Council of Manawan are elected representatives of the community members and solely responsible for the general administration of the Reserve according to the delegation of authority made by the Minister of Aboriginal and Northern Affairs of Canada under the Indian Act, exclusive jurisdiction of the federal and still governing Native communities in Canada today.

Funding arrangements for the delivery of public services to the community

One of the primary roles entrusted to the Atikamekw Council of Manawan is the delivery of public services to its inhabitants in accordance with the funding arrangements of the Ministry of Native and Northern Affairs that the Council must sign if he wants to take on this role without real bargaining power to reflect, for example, on the increase in population, the costs and the real needs of the community. He must commit to these agreements to receive the funds provided and the Council must repay the amounts that are not recognized as eligible expenses under these funding arrangements or if the budgets allocated to the community identified were exceeded.

Directions and priorities given by the Council

The elected members of the Council give directions and instructions to the Administration, which is responsible for implementing them under the supervision of the Council. Thus, the Council develops its strategic development plan, defines its directions and priorities, approves major projects and policies, gives the directives of the Council, approves the operational plans of the various programs and budgets attached to them under funding agreements with the federal government, monitors and ensures their implementation. It represents the community with government authorities, institutions and other organizations in all matters concerning the Council and it reports to the population the execution of its mandate.

As part of its strategic planning that it has completed, the Council reviewed and reformulated as follows the mission entrusted to it by the Law and as elected members to represent and govern the community.

The mission of the Atikamekw Council of Manawan is:

  1. Ensure the survival, permanence and development of the Atikamekw community of Manawan and Nitaskinan (Atikamekw territory);
  2. Preserve, protect, promote and strengthen the rights and interests of members of the community, identity, language, culture, knowledge and traditional activities and Nitaskinan;
  3. Responding to the needs of the community and work to improve the quality of life, including health, education, public safety, housing, hobbies and culture;
  4. Promote and ensure sustainable socio-economic development and community development;
  5. Ensure the development and realization of the full potential of youth in the community;
  6. Represent the community to government authorities and other institutions and organizations;
  7. Ensure close communication through continuous interaction with community members;

Values

The Council also adopted the following values to guide the Council's action in all its relations, actions and decisions:

  1. Respect
  2. Ethics
  3. Atikamekw Pride

Strategic guidelines 2015 – 2020

In response to the issues and challenges identified during the strategic planning process, the Council has adopted the following strategic guidelines to guide the Council's action and its administration over the next five years:

  1. Strengthen the Atikamekw pride
  2. To affirm and to recognize the rights of Atikamekw people
  3. To preserve, protect, promote and strengthen the identity, language and Atikamekw culture
  4. Maintain and transfer to the young people of Manawan the traditional activities on the territory and traditional Atikamekw knowledge
  5. Improve the acceptance and social and professional integration of Atikamekw and counter discrimination and prejudice against Natives
  6. Implement a development and embellishment program for a beautiful, friendly and clean
  7. Prepare the youth to build a better future for the community
  8. Take the necessary means to ensure that the vast majority of the young people access to a high school diploma, and for those who wish to a college and university diploma
  9. Strengthen, adapt, identify and enrich the educational services for the youth in the community
  10. Meet the needs of young people, their aspirations and provide a multitude of activities that interest them
  11. Accelerate sustainable socio-economic development of the community
  12. Pursue and speed up the negotiations for land and other means that may lead to self-government, land management and access to resources for our development
  13. Take the necessary means for asphalting the Manawan road essential for our development
  14. Generate substantial autonomous incomes
  15. Increase and strengthen the creation of viable companies, sustainable, private or community, of a social economy, in partnership or not, in Manawan or outside
  16. Establish positive and mutually beneficial relations with the outside world
  17. Strengthen the governance and management of the Council to insure with the available resources the best quality of life and services to the community
  18. Implement the strategic planning of the Council and obtain the support of employees and of the population to its realization
  19. Strengthening governance, the role and actions of the elected members of the Council
  20. Strengthen the organization, management and efficiency of the administration of the Council
  21. Improve the management of finances and funding agreements and resolve underfunding problems
  22. Improve transparency and accountability to the people through a comprehensive and extensive communication on the guidelines and activities of the Council and its administration
  23. Conduct a fair and sustainable overhaul of housing policy, construction, maintenance, use, housing management and rent collection
  24. To support, promote and organize the training, development and personal and professional development of individuals and their integration into employment
  25. Establish the means to promote, support and develop the growth and personal and professional development of all members of the community
  26. Develop ways to organize and promote the integration to work of community members in neighboring regions and outside

 Comprehensive land negotiations of the Atikamekw Nation

It is the Atikamekw Council of Manawan who is the representative of the Atikamekw community of Manawan within the Atikamekw Nation in comprehensive land negotiations since 1979 between the governments of Canada and Quebec and the Atikamekw Nation to acquire self-government of a territory that belongs to us only, access to natural resources of Nitaskinan and obtain the necessary funds to undertake significantly our socio-economic development and the development of our abilities.

Regular meetings of the Atikamekw Council of Manawan

The elected members Atikamekw Council of Manawan meet regularly, usually once a month, and sometimes they hold special meetings to process the Council's affairs under their responsibility and approve contracts, agreements, projects and expenses of the Council. They take decisions by Council resolutions usually adopted by consensus of the Council members. Minutes are drafted after each meeting to keep a record of the discussions and decisions taken by the Council.

Council