Cape Breton band councillor 'shocked' to become AFN Youth Council co-chair

Isaiah Bernard is accustomedto making historyand he's hoping to make more of it in his new role with the Assembly of First Nations.

Believed to be the youngest person ever elected to Potlotek band council, Bernard, 27, became the fourthMi'kmaq elected as co-chair of the assembly's youth council when the AFN gathered in Montreal on July 5. The first was Jaime Battiste, the Sydney-Victoria MP who isalso from Potlotek.

Nearly two months later, Bernard admits he wasn't even lobbying to be nominated for the role, much less elected.

"I was really shocked, to say the least," said Bernard, who was making his first appearance at an official AFN conference at the time of his nomination for co-chair of the national Indigenous youth organization.

"I went from being on the outside looking in, to just getting in, to being in front of [everyone]. It took me a day to process it I was like, 'Whoa, this is really happening.'"

Battistewas among those congratulating Bernard on his victory in Montreal.

"He was actually up there and we had a nice conversation and he gave me some advice," Bernard recalled. "He said, 'Don't let the stress get to you just enjoy this moment.'"

Hard work and humour

Bernard was elected to Potlotek band council in 2022, shortly after overseeing the community's hosting of the Mi'kmaw Summer Games. Since then, he has continued to prioritize public activities for young people in the Richmond County community, including family gatherings at the annual Mission to Saint Anne and several baseball tournaments.

He hopes to bring that work ethic to the AFN Youth Council and encourage the group to meet more frequently than its current four times per year.

Bernard, whose co-chair isVeronik Picard of Quebec, is also pushing for the council's advancementfrom its current advisory role to have full AFN voting privileges.

"We need more support from our chiefs to have a vote at the table," he said.

"It would be nice to have a voting seat, rather than a 'listen-in' seat. But that's going to come in time. Rome wasn't built in a day, so we're trying."

Even as he addresses serious issues, the graduate of Saint Mary's University in Halifax is also hoping his sense of humour will encourage camaraderie around the AFN Youth Council table.

"I'm quite a bit of a jokester," Bernard declared with a smile.

"A lot of my fellow youth council members point out, 'You make a lot of jokes.' But that's what eases the tension by laughing. You can't always be serious. We have to enjoy the moment while we're young."

Leadership runs in the family

Bernard's father, Potlotek Chief Wilbert Marshall, feels the youth council will benefit from his son's energy and commitment to his community.

"He took the reins and he's doing really good for himself I'm proud of him," Marshall said, beaming.

Asked if he had any advice for Bernard in his new role, the chief replied: "No, I'm actually taking advice from him in terms of roles for our kids."

Bernard also celebrated his election as youth council co-chair with his uncle, Jason Bernard, a long-serving councillor at We'koqma'q First Nation in Inverness County.

"I made a joke to my uncle We were on the same flight [to the AFN event in Montreal]and I said, 'I'm gonna run and get it,' but I wasn't serious about running," Bernard said.

"The next thing I knew, I got it, and I told him, and he gave me the biggest hug ever."