Re-elected Tk’emlps te Secwpemc chief wants to celebrate her community [Video]

The re-elected chief of the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation says she’s hoping to forge connections within her community as she looks ahead to her next term.

Rosanne Casimir will serve as the Kúkpi7 (chief) of the First Nation in south-central B.C. for a third term, after beating Joshua Gottfriedson by 81 votes in their Nov. 9 election. 

Casimir was the chief of Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc in 2021 when it announced it was investigating suspected unmarked graves on the site of the Kamloops Indian Residential School — a discovery the nation calls “Le Estcwicwéy,” to refer to “the missing” children.

The investigation drew significant international attention to the issue of abuses at residential schools. Now, Casimir said she’s hoping to advance healing in her community with the construction of a new healing centre.

The re-elected chief spoke to the CBC’s Jenifer Norwell about her ambitions for her third term, how she wants her community to …