Online voting begins today on a historic referendum to approve a written constitution for the Heiltsuk Nation.
This comes following with six months of in-person and online community engagement process with over 2000 members in Bella Bella, Vancouver, and Nanaimo, and nearly two decades of development and consultations.
Voting will continue until end of day on February 20, with in-person advance voting in Vancouver on February 18, and in-person voting in Bella Bella on February 20.
If the constitution is approved by a majority of members, a ratification feast under gvi??ás will be held in the Big House in Bella Bella.
Only once it is passed by both a referendum and passed in ceremony, will it come into effect, using both inherent Indigenous law and a democratic process.
“We are so proud of the hard work our people have put into re-constituting our governance system, and bringing us to this moment,” said Marilyn Slett, elected Chief of the Heiltsuk Nation. "We have always had an ancestral constitution, held in our hearts and minds, and enacted through our ceremonies and everyday practices. What is new is the constitution is being written down and we are voting on whether to implement it using our inherent right and authority to do so.”
The Nation has also produced a two-part video series on the history and creation of the constitution.