Posted: October 1, 2024
By: Emm Campbell
John G. Paul (MPA’83, LLD’24) has fond memories of the summer when he and his friends started a youth group and applied for government funding to offer free services to the community of Membertou.
“We helped elders and people with disabilities with things like cutting the grass and cleaning the house,” Paul says. “It taught me responsibilities such as how to manage a bank account and do project reporting. But it was also a way to learn more about what was going on in the community and how I could help people.”
Paul continues to find ways to help people as executive director of the Atlantic Policy Congress (APC) of First Nations Chiefs Secretariat—a policy research and advocacy organization for 33 First Nations communities across Atlantic Canada and Gaspé in Quebec.
“My role has been to bring together our chiefs to focus on issues that are important to our communities and promote change in the policy and programs created by the federal government,” he says. “I try to support them by providing the best information to make the best choices.”
Contributing to healthier, wealthier communities
Paul’s impact extends beyond advice. He has worked extensively with the region’s Indigenous commercial fisheries and the federal government to increase the wealth and employment generated by the industry. He also helped launch the Atlantic Indigenous Economic Development Integrated Research Program (AIEDIRP). This unique partnership between APC member communities, the Inuit of Labrador, government funders, and regional universities is increasing economic development capacity and dispelling perceptions about First Nations communities. One study conducted with the Atlantic Economic Council found Indigenous communities and businesses contribute more than $5.6 billion to the region’s economy.
“I had an idea what the contribution was, but I didn’t have credible evidence to prove it,” Paul says.
“I’m using that to position our success as Atlantic Canada’s success because people are oblivious to it.”
Paul also played a key role in establishing the Atlantic First Nations Water Authority, a First Nations-owned and operated non-profit that is working to provide safe drinking water and wastewater services to participating communities in Atlantic Canada. It is supported in these efforts by a $257-million commitment from the federal government and is a model for similar initiatives across Canada.
“Most people don’t understand that, right now, it’s the chief and council of each community that are on the hook legally for these services,” Paul explains. “The authority minimizes that risk and provides services. If we can get all the communities here to be part of it, we’ll be the seventh-largest utility in Atlantic Canada.”
Making the most of education
Paul’s determination to push for positive change was inspired in part by his mother, Mary Elizabeth, who was a community health representative and Membertou band council member, and his father, Daniel Douglas, who was a residential school survivor. They fought for him to be able to attend Membertou day school and he took full advantage of that opportunity.
“I told my classmates, ‘I’m going to go through school and get a couple of degrees,’” Paul says. “I always had it in my head that I was going to get a career where I could make a difference.”
Paul made good on those ambitions, earning a bachelor’s degree in community studies before enrolling in Dal’s Master of Public Administration program. “I was the only Indigenous person at the MPA orientation session,” he recalls. “But I knew I belonged there, and I knew it would help me understand the mechanics of government so I could influence how it works. I focused on earning my degree and was able to find help to do that when I needed it.”
Celebrating and extending a legacy
In spring 2024, Dalhousie acknowledged Paul’s achievements with an honorary degree. "The one I got through my own hard work is the most valuable for me, but being recognized after all these years made me and my family happy,” he says. That includes his child, Kendall (MSW’23), a mental health counsellor at the Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre.
After 30 years with APC, Paul’s commitment to the community is as strong as ever. He wants to tackle the housing crisis, encourage more economic development, and establish a program to train a new generation of community leaders, possibly in partnership with Dalhousie. Given the strong academic performance he sees among Indigenous youth—an outcome of having Mi’kmaq jurisdiction over education—he is optimistic about what they will achieve.
“I think there's all kinds of opportunities for them to replicate the things that I've done probably tenfold,” he says.
“All we need to do is to teach them how they can unleash their full potential.”