About

About Tribal Chiefs Association (TCA) and its organizations   

• TCA has established two distinctive corporate entities: 
• Tribal Chiefs Ventures Inc. is federally incorporated as a not-for-profit organization and is a federally recognized Tribal Council with its head office located at the Beaver Lake Cree Nation. 
• Tribal Chiefs Development Inc. (TCDI) is incorporated as a for-profit business enterprise under the Federal Business Corporation Act with its head office located at Whitefish Lake First Nation No. 128.
• Tribal Chiefs Ventures Inc. is governed by the Chiefs of the six member First Nations who make up the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors meet twice a month and at other times as necessary to provide direction and approval of business transactions in all program areas and initiatives 
• The current member First Nations are Beaver Lake Cree Nation, Cold Lake First Nations, Frog Lake First Nations, Heart Lake First Nation, Kehewin Cree Nation, and Whitefish Lake First Nation No. 128.  

Our Goals 

• To support the collective Treaty interests of the Tribal Chiefs Association.
• To establish individual and joint ventures that will benefit the member First Nations.
• To coordinate efforts to assure that Tribal Chiefs Ventures Inc. accountabilities and transparency are being fulfilled.
• To develop economic capacity amongst member First Nations both collectively and independently.
• To provide requested and board directed advisory and other services to member First Nations.

History 

• Tribal Chiefs Association was established in 1972 by the Chiefs of the No. Treaty Six First Nations of Northeastern Alberta to protect their Treaty promises collectively and expanded its mandate as a Tribal Council in 1979.
• Tribal Chiefs Ventures Inc. became a Tribal Council recognized by other levels of government with not for profit incorporation for creating opportunities and delivering jointly identified programs and services for the member First Nations. 
• Initially, Tribal Chiefs Ventures Inc., as a Tribal Council, was required to provide a range of advisory services. This role has evolved to collective program and service development, incubation of initiatives and adding other incorporated organizational structures with their own boards of directors for specific program areas such as Child and Family Services, Education, Post-secondary Institution, and Employment and Training, while maintaining specific roles in these and other areas.

Philosophy

• Tribal Chiefs Ventures Inc., through its philosophy, strives to operate in harmony with the gifts and guidance of the Creator: grateful, respectful, and accepting of responsibilities given by the Creator through our Mother Earth, our Language, our Spiritual beliefs and the Natural Law, while adhering to the principles of Love, Honesty, Sharing and Determination.
• Tribal Chiefs Ventures Inc. is committed to Nistomaymehanahk blessed the visions of our forefathers who foretold that we must unite and work collectively and interdependently to ensure a better future for generations of Iyiniwak to come.
• Tribal Chiefs Ventures Inc. is committed to honouring the responsibilities and upholding this legacy left by the forefathers by giving equal voice to all First Nation Members, and leading First Nation members to work towards healthful, whole and self-sufficient communities.
• Tribal Chiefs Ventures Inc. is committed to promoting and maintaining the solidarity of its member First Nations in interpretation, implementation and protection of rights guaranteed under Treaty No. 6 “for as long as the sun shines, the rivers flow and the grass grows” (Her Majesty’s Commissioner The Honourable Alexander Morris).

Mandate

• Tribal Chiefs Ventures Inc. member First Nations are entrusted and mandated by their citizens to provide responsible and accountable leadership, good government, and to ensure that rights guaranteed under Treaty No.6 are protected and honoured.  The member First Nations have entered alliances with other First Nations in Treaty No. 6 territory for political solidarity and support in areas of mutual interest and concern, including Treaty Rights.

Mission

• With one voice, honour and protect our inherent, international and national treaty rights by determining self-reliance through our treaty teachings, by us, for us, to foster holistic, meaningful, healthy and productive Nations, as long as the sun shines, the grass grows and the rivers flow.

Vision

• Working together- Mamawohkamahtowin
• Recognizing the traditional knowledge keepers teachings
• We are advancing unified, strong and self-sufficient Treaty 6 Dene/Cree Nations and its people
• Respect one another, all Nations and care for the land
• Remember the past, live for today, plan for the future

Value Statement

• We demonstrate love, trust, mutual respect, accountability and transparency; they are affirmed by practicing our Dene/Cree culture, tradition, sacred knowledge and land-based education.