The Honourable Lisa Dempster, Minister Responsible for Indigenous Affairs and Reconciliation and Minister of Labrador Affairs, today provided a statement on the retirement of Chief Mi’sel Joe as Administrative Chief of Miawpukek Mi’kamawey Mawi’omi.

“On behalf of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, I wish to extend sincere gratitude and appreciation to Saqamaw Mi’sel Joe for the tremendous contributions he has made through a lifetime of work to his people, his community, and all of Newfoundland and Labrador.

I have enjoyed a personal and a professional relationship with Saqmaw. During the time I have served as the Minister Responsible for Indigenous Affairs and Reconciliation, and in prior years upon entering politics, I have come to know Chief Mi’sel Joe as a spiritual and cultural leader of his people. He engenders respect and admiration everywhere he goes and I am wiser for the stories and experiences he has shared with me and many others.

As a government, we have benefitted from his strong convictions and teachings in the areas of Indigenous culture, traditions and history.

The discrimination felt by Chief Mi’sel Joe and dozens of members of the Miawpukek First Nation resulted in the launch of a protest and hunger strike against the Provincial Government in 1983. One year after the hunger strike, the Miawpukek First Nation was registered under the federal Indian Act, and in 1987, Conne River was part of the first reserve to be established in Newfoundland and Labrador. The hunger strike serves to remind all residents of this province of the struggles that Indigenous people encounter in the assertion of their identity and self-determination.

Throughout a career marked by many achievements, perhaps one of the most significant was his determination and perseverance in the successful repatriation of the remains of two Beothuk, Nonosabasut and Demasduit, from Scotland to Newfoundland and Labrador. This was achieved in 2020 in collaboration with the provincial and federal governments and Indigenous Governments and Organizations in this province.

Together, along with the Honourable Dr. Andrew Furey, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, my colleagues in cabinet, and the entire Provincial Government, I wish to share heartfelt congratulations and thanks to Chief Mi’sel Joe. He has made our province a better place and his hard work, advocacy, and leadership has bettered the lives of many.

It is my wish that as you step back from your duties as Administrative Chief, and seek some well-deserved time with family and friends, you will continue to impart your extensive knowledge, experiences and wisdom and those that will follow in your footsteps. You have left big moccasins to fill.”

-30-