Canadian Government Executive - Volume 24 - Issue 04

July/August 2018 // Canadian Government Executive / 11 INTERVIEW public service and being a part of a natu- ral resource department was a lifelong dream for me. It gave me many unique and valuable experiences. For example, when I came back up to the North, I was on the job for about a month and a half, and I ended up getting asked to help the polar bear biologist with his fieldwork, so I went and tagged polar bears in Resolute for 6 weeks. We tagged 85 bears using a helicopter and snowmobile/komatik (In- uit sled) and stayed at the Polar Continen- tal Shelf Project. It was such an amazing opportunity, and I thought to myself at the time, “how could life get better than getting paid to tag polar bears!” It was during this time that I quickly realized, when I was sitting around the table with the rest of the GNWT biolo- gists, that they all had PhDs and I did not – I didn’t quite fit in. So, it was at that time that I approached my deputy minis- ter, Bob McLeod, who is now our govern- ment’s premier. I remember how nervous I was when I asked him what he thought about me trying to go back to school to get a PhD because at that time, there hadn’t been any Indigenous northerners that had received a PhD in natural resources. Thankfully, he was receptive, and I was so relieved. He really encouraged and sup- ported my decision to pursue this path. Shortly thereafter, I went to the Univer- sity of Alberta where I obtained my doc- torate studying the commercial use of caribou in the Canadian Arctic. The PhD took some time, but once I completed it, I returned to the Government of North- west Territories, and Bob asked me to work alongside him as his senior advisor in a newly formed department called Re- sources, Wildlife, and Economic Develop- ment. It was a great fit for me as it was the blending of the two areas that I studied in university on the environmental side and business side. In this position, I had the chance to work with three very ex- perienced senior leaders, and I was able to see first-hand what it meant to be a leader in the public service. I was able to see these very experienced leaders in ac- tion, and each had their respective way of managing teams and managing situa- tions. What impressed me was how Bob’s leadership style, as the leader of this or- ganization, adapted to various situations and people he was dealing with, but more importantly, his way of providing a ‘space’ for leaders to lead and a compassion for his employees. It was upon seeing these leadership styles, and being a part of that team, that I decided that I wanted to be a leader in the public service. Q: So when you started your leadership career, what opportu- nities did you pursue? My first real leadership position in gov- ernment was working as the Director of Policy, Legislation and Communications for the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs in Yellowknife. This position really provid- ed me with great insight into where we, as a territorial government, addressed land claim and self- government agree- ments with Indigenous governments and organizations. I was exposed to the vi- sion of where we, as a territorial govern- ment, were going with this relationship in the North and Indigenous peoples. After that job, I started to search out ad- ditional leadership opportunities, and a former GNWT deputy minister, Peter Vician, asked me if I had considered a program called “Interchange Canada.” I had sought advice from Peter from time to time and had mentioned to Peter that I wouldn’t mind returning to the eastern part of Canada so that my wife could be closer to her family. I began looking for Interchange Canada opportunities in Ottawa and became connected with the Assistant Deputy Minister in human resources at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), Mr. Steve Tierney, who ended up hiring me as part of the pro- gram. I was a bit hesitant to accept a job in the human resources field, but I felt the experience would be valuable and an asset in the long-term. One of the things that I heard from time to time from dif- ferent conversations with respect to se- nior science managers was, “He or she is a really good scientist, but unfortunately not a really good manager.” This always stuck with me, so I wanted to make sure that I also developed my people skills, and I thought this would be a really good opportunity to learn more about HR and management. Q: Interesting; how did you find the transition into the federal public service? Initially, I was in charge of developing an Aboriginal recruitment program for Ag- riculture Canada, and then I was asked by Steve Tierney to lead the employment equity file and subsequently the award and recognition file. The interchange agreement process provided a lot of flex- As an Indigenous person, and growing up the way I did in the North, I have always had a real strong connection to the land and its resources – thanks to my mom and dad. Being able to join the public service and being a part of a natural resource department was a lifelong dream for me.