We Wai Kai Election Wednesday Jan 28th...

...Get out and exercise your right and privilege to Vote. Polling Station locations are only at these locations: Cape Mudge Band Office on Quadra Island and at the Quinsam Reserve in Campbell River. Voting represents your commitment to and participation in the responsible governance of our Community and Nation...not voting is bad-form. Do your part...you'll feel good about it.

I may only blog once or twice more before the Election tomorrow. I have enjoyed this process of communicating with you, and especially the comments, questions and analysis from many of you in the process. I hope that this communication and sharing will continue after the Election regardless of whether I am elected or not.

At the outset I wanted to engage Members about the ideas and opinions they have, and make clear my intentions and objectives if elected. In the final analysis you the people, We Wai Kai Members, will decide the outcome and I will respect and honor that choice. If elected you can be assured that I will act swiftly and responsibly to implement my platform of change, and keep Our people well engaged in discussions and dialogue about what is best for the We Wai Kai Nation.

Below is a quote I came across recently, I think is poignant.

Anonymous...on Making a Difference
Never be afraid to do something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark; professionals built the titanic.

It speaks to the notion that over the fullness of time...the established dogma or knowledge may be faulty for the times. Life and people and community naturally evolve and develop in ways that are not always fully comprehended, or in a manner which keeps us aware of the change. Sometimes the evolution is so subtle that we fail to notice the great changes that have made us who we are today...people very different from our ancestors in so many ways.

I trust that the important values remain, and the old and no-longer relevant ideas and understandings are discarded. I believe that it is this quality that has allowed our Peoples to survive first contact, the ensuing onslaught of disease and oppression, and our modern battles with rights and title, and a resurgence of culture and language (point in case - the modern Potlatch would not have been tolerated 50 years ago...in fact, I am sure those hosting would have been quickly exiled or put to death!).

Sometime change seems absurd. I would concur "that if at first the idea is not absurd then really there is no hope for it." - Einstein. Sometimes change is hard and difficult and feels contrary to everything we believe to be true or understand to be appropriate. The thing about change though is that it is inevitable - it is a force of nature that can not be stopped. The challenge for Our people is to embrace change and guide its impacts and outcomes...the challenge for Our people is to be masters of our own destiny and not slaves to it.

Like the anonymous quote above observes, we can be slaves to the agreed and applied assumptions and knowledge...or we can embrace a spirit and passion that allows us to be free of those chains and embraces something new and different. The outcome may very well mean the difference between success and failure, liberty and oppression, prosperity and doom.

Tomorrow - you decide. Take that responsibility seriously for you and your family, out of respect for our old people and ancestors, and most of all because only you can make a difference in guiding the future of our Nation.

I am running for Chief to facilitate change. Support me tomorrow and vote Lawrence Lewis for Chief.

Respectfully submitted,
Lawrence Lewis for Chief