Lennox Island's new chief promises to advocate for her community, on or off-reserve
'I want to lead with my heart,' says Tabatha Bernard
Tabatha Bernard says her dream from a young age was to one day become chief of the Lennox Island First Nation.
That dream became a reality on June 15, when she won the support of voters on the P.E.I.-based Indigenous reserve.
"As a young woman, [I] always wanted to help my people, I wanted to be able to advocate for people. I wanted to show them fairness, kindness," Bernard told Island Morning host Mitch Cormier.
"I want to lead with my heart, and that's what made me decide, 'You know what? Yeah, I think it's time.'"
Bernard has big shoes to fill — she takes over from Darlene Bernard, who announced in April that she would not seek re-election after nearly 20 years as chief.
But Tabatha Bernard believes she has the experience to lead her community into the future.
She's held senior leadership roles with the Lennox Island band council, and spent 17 years with the Mi'kmaq Confederacy of P.E.I. promoting the inclusion of First Nation members who live off-reserve.
"Yes, there are challenges, but that's a part of our life, [and] I'm ready to take them on," Bernard said. "I've always believed in rolling up my sleeves, getting to work and finding solutions to work together."
Her priorities include housing, cultural revitalization and economic development.
'A voice at the table'
She also wants to put both youth and elders front and centre in shaping Lennox Island in the years to come.
Bernard said she'll create a youth leadership council and a community advisory committee to ensure each of those groups can provide input to council.
"It's time to give our young people a voice at the table, not just as the future, but as leaders now," she said.
"Elders play a very important role in our community. They're our knowledge keepers and they have insight, and it's very important that we continue to connect with our elders."
Another priority that's made headlines in recent months is the protection of Lennox Island's treaty rights when it comes to land and the First Nation's moderate-livelihood lobster fishery.
Lennox Island and Abegweit First Nation recently accepted a $17.5-million settlement from the federal government for a specific land claim for Hog Island off the North Shore of P.E.I. If it's ratified by a community vote, it will be the first specific land-claim settlement in the province's history.
The treaty-protected lobster fishery has also been the subject of scrutiny as of late. In recent months, Fisheries and Oceans Canada officers have twice seized lobster traps from Lennox Island harvesters in Malpeque Bay.
Bernard said she'll continue to show her "unwavering support" for the right to fish in those waters.
"I believe that is what I'm going to walk with. I'm going to defend our treaty rights, I'm going to stand behind our treaty fishermen," she said. "They're the path to our future generation and it's very important that we don't lose that."
Bernard said she's also looking forward to working with Abegweit First Nation to advance both communities.
As for her message to that young child who dreamed of one day being chief, and others in the community right now who may have the same aspirations?
"All that hard work? It pays off. Be kind, be considerate, make decisions that help everyone," she said.
"You don't pick favourites, you be fair to everyone."
Corrections
- A previous version of this story stated that the Lennox Island and Abegweit First Nations recently resolved a land-claim settlement with the federal government for Hog Island. In fact, the settlement has yet to be ratified by a community vote.Jun 25, 2025 9:06 AM EDT
With files from Island Morning