Re-elected Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc chief wants to celebrate her community
CBC
The re-elected chief of the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation says she's hoping to forge connections within her community as she looks ahead to her next term.
Rosanne Casimir will serve as the Kúkpi7 (chief) of the First Nation in south-central B.C. for a third term, after beating Joshua Gottfriedson by 81 votes in their Nov. 9 election.
Casimir was the chief of Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc in 2021 when it announced it was investigating suspected unmarked graves on the site of the Kamloops Indian Residential School — a discovery the nation calls "Le Estcwicwéy," to refer to "the missing" children.
The investigation drew significant international attention to the issue of abuses at residential schools. Now, Casimir said she's hoping to advance healing in her community with the construction of a new healing centre.
The re-elected chief spoke to the CBC's Jenifer Norwell about her ambitions for her third term, how she wants her community to come together, and how she plans to deal with mental health challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What are some of the things that you're looking forward to as you move into this next term?
What I'm looking forward to is, you know, working closely with my community to build relationships within and to feel some unity.
Because I find since COVID, our families really have drifted apart. And then we've had everything from the rise in mental health [crises] to the opioid crisis and so much grief and losses also taking place.
And also, you know, the healing that also needs to take place, ever since the announcement of 215 Le Estcwicwéy.
How do you feel about shepherding this story and this responsibility into yet another term?
[It's] looking at really bringing our people together and looking at ways to support and nurture, love, honour and give respect to, you know, those that didn't make it home.
But also to support the healing that also needs to take place at every single level. And one of the things that is starting to move forward is that healing centre. We've got an identified location.
What I'm going to be doing to make that a reality is supporting our technical individuals that are moving that forward. And ... also to support what the programs and services could look like and what on the ground healing looks like for our people.
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