Information Package on Second Vote

1. Information Package onSecond Vote ‘Namgis First Nation

2. SECOND VOTE • A second vote to approve the Agreement in Principle will be held in June 2014 • Before the second vote is held, the ‘NamgisFirst Nation will conduct an information campaign to inform members about the Agreement in Principle, outstanding issues for negotiation and alternatives to treaty. • Before the second vote is held, the ‘NamgisFirst Nation will engage in dialogue with members about the Agreement in Principle, outstanding issues for negotiation and alternatives to treaty.

3. Rationale for Second Vote • the effective exclusion of 641 or 50% of all eligible ‘Namgis voters from participating in the first vote • information gaps • low voter turnout

4. Exclusion of 50% of Eligible Voters • 50% of eligible voters live at Alert Bay, Vancouver and Victoria • Remaining 50% live elsewhere • Remaining 50% effectively excluded for participating in first vote

5. Information Gaps • Community Meetings have not been an effective vehicle for sharing information • Summaries of some, but not all Agreement in Principle chapters • 24 page document on benefits of Agreement in Principle not readily available • Webpage has not been an effective vehicle for sharing information • Newsletter focused on non-treaty issues • Voters arguably did not receive enough information to make an informed choice in March 2013

6. Low Voter Turnout • Only 292 out of 1270 or 23% of all eligible ‘Namgis voters participated in the first vote

7. Eligible Voters • All 1270 Eligible ‘Namgis Voters • Aged 19 and over

8. Percentage of Electorate Required for Approval of Second Vote • 50% plus one is the percentage required for approval of Agreement in Principle

9. Mail in Ballots • The second vote will be conducted by mail-in ballots • Mail-in ballots will be send to all Eligible ‘Namgis voters • All Eligible‘Namgisvoters will have an opportunity to participate in the second vote

10. Electoral Officer • Electoral Officer will be hired by February 2014 • The Electoral Officer will be selected through a Request for Proposal

11. Selection Committee • ASelection Committee be established to select the Electoral Officer • Selection Committee could be made up of: • 2 representatives from elected council • 2 hereditary chiefs • 3 community members(1 from Alert Bay, 1 from Vancouver, 1 from Victoria) • Community representatives to be selected by members in attendance at meetings to launch community engagement process

12. INFORMATION CAMPAIGN • Before holding the second vote, the ‘Namgis First Nation will launch an information campaign to inform members about the Agreement in Principle (AIP), outstanding issues for negotiation and alternatives to treaties. • The information campaign will consist of the following elements; • Handbooks on Lands, Resources, Governance, Fiscal and Procedural Matters chapters of AIP • One Page Summaries of all chapters in AIP • Community Information Session

13. HANDBOOKS • Handbooks will be prepared on the following categories of matters addressed in the Agreement in Principle and other treaty-related issues: • Lands • Resources • Governance • Fiscal • Procedural Matters • Pros and Cons • Outstanding Issues • Alternatives to Treaty

14. One Page Summaries One Page Summaries of the following will be prepared: • All chapters of the Agreement in Principle • Pros and Cons of the Agreement in Principle • Outstanding Issues for Negotiation • Alternatives to Treaty

15. Community Information Sessions • October to December 2013 • Information sharing only • Information shared through handbooks on Agreement in Principle (AIP) chapters, pros and cons of AIP, outstanding issues and alternatives to treaty. • Handbooks to be mailed to all members. • Community Information Sessions to be held at Alert Bay, Vancouver and Victoria

16. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT • The ‘Namgis First Nation will engage in dialogue with members about the Agreement in Principle, the outstanding issues for negotiation and alternatives to treaty. • The community engagement process will consist of the following stages: • Community Surveys • Community Dialogue Sessions • Community Engagement Report • Dialogue with Leadership and Others

17. Community Surveys • 641 of our members live outside Alert Bay, Vancouver and Victoria • Low turnout at community meetings • Only 10% of electorate at Alert Bay, 20% at Vancouver and 27% at Victoria regularly attended community meetings • Community surveys a way to reach members that did not not attend community meetings at Alert Bay, Vancouver and Victoria • Community surveys also a way to reach the 641 members who live outside Alert Bay, Vancouver and Victoria • Surveys will ask members: • What they like and don’t like about the Agreement in Principle • What are their goals and objectives in regard to the outstanding issues for negotiation • What are their preferred alternatives to treaty

18. Community Dialogue Sessions • Community Dialogue Sessions will be held from January to March 2014. • At Community Dialogue Sessions members will engage in dialogue with one another to discuss their • likes and dislikes in regard to the Agreement in Principle • goals and objectives in regard to the outstanding issues for negotiation • preferred alternatives to treaty • Dialogue among community members will occur in facilitated break-out groups • Note-taker on hand to record input and keep record of meeting • Input will be summarized in a Community Engagement Report

19. Community Engagement Report • Input received from members at the Community Dialogue Sessions and through the Community Surveys will be consolidated into a Community Engagement Report • Community Engagement Report submitted to ‘Namgis Treaty Caucus and members in March 2014 • ‘Namgis Treaty Caucus will respond to the report at Dialogue with Leadership Sessions that will be held from April to June 2014

20. Dialogue with Leadership and Others • Dialogue with Leadership meetings will be held from April to June 2014 • At these meetings the ‘Namgis Treaty Caucus will • respond to the Community Engagement Report • Engage in dialogue with members • Other guests, including federal and provincial negotiators and representatives of First Nations with agreements in principle and treaties can be invited to share their views on the benefits of treaty-making