After being courted by all three major parties, the chief of the Kluane First Nation (KFN) has decided to seek the Liberal nomination in Kluane in the upcoming territorial election.

Mathieya Alatini made the announcement last Thursday morning at the Council of Yukon First Nations’ general assembly at Airport Lake, near Carmacks.

“If you look at the work and all of the speaking that I’ve done for Kluane First Nation, it’s always been from a format of inclusivity, but also making decisions now that affect seven generations: so making sure that there is economic opportunities, but not at the expense of future generations,” she told media that afternoon at the Edgewater Hotel in Whitehorse.

“The Liberal party embodies that value, and it’s something that I want to carry forward.”

Alatini grew up on Kluane Lake near Burwash Landing and went to high school and university in Victoria. She holds a degree in commerce from the University of Victoria.

Before becoming chief, Alatini worked in First Nations tourism, with CESO Aboriginal Services, a non-profit poverty reduction and economic development organization, and with Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (now Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada).

As leaders of Kluane First Nation, Alatini and the council were straightforward and firm in their dealings with the territory – an approach that proved successful, Alatini said.

“We’ve worked with the Yukon Party government extremely well,” she said.

“That has a lot to do with our council having a really clear expectation of what we want from a government and being able to lay that out.

“It’s not because the government has said, ‘what can we do for you?’ It’s, ‘this is what we expect, and this is how we expect to participate.’

“So taking that very proactive stance has been, I believe, how we’ve managed to achieve a lot of the relationship that we have.”

But after six years as chief, Alatini is ready to represent KFN members and her neighbours in the Kluane riding in a different capacity – as an MLA.

The election for KFN chief is tentatively scheduled for August, and Alatini has told her citizens she will not be running again.

“Six years is a lot of energy to put into changing government and building a nation,” she said.

To be sure, her fuel to fight for the interests of her citizens is far from spent; she’s simply switching vehicles.

“I think I’m ready for a change, and this is the next step,” she said.

“We’ll see if the citizens of the Yukon in the Kluane riding want me to represent them.”

There are a number of projects on the go in her community right now, including the design and construction of a school in Burwash, a commitment of $1 million for wind turbine construction, and commitments from the federal government.

Alatini said she expects these will be completed without issue, despite the fact that she is now officially aligned with a political party.

“I think it would be petty if it was to be pulled off the table, and I don’t expect that from this (Yukon Party) government,” she said.

As the leader of a First Nation government, Alatini understands the necessity of consulting with First Nations governments on matters pertaining to the use of their lands.

Like several others who have announced bids to run for the NDP or Liberals, Alatini pointed to the Peel watershed legal dispute as a dark spot on the government’s record.

“We need to have that respectful dialogue and include the other levels of government. We did sign land claims agreements and respect for those agreements needs to be incorporated into the Yukon government,” she said.

Alatini also stressed the importance of elected officials, especially ministers, engaging face-to-face with chiefs and council members.

She said she wants to see more First Nations government inclusion in discussions about the budget, and infrastructure needs in the communities.

“It’s fine to have a representative of government in terms of a manager or director, go out to a community and have a meeting and say, ‘OK, what’s your checklist?’ but there’s an expectation amongst governing nations that they be party to the larger discussions of how those infrastructure dollars are spent,” said Alatini.

“It will affect more than just the Kluane riding, that will affect all of Yukon.”

Environment Minister Wade Istchenko is seeking a second term as the riding’s MLA, while Sally Wright wants to claim it for the New Democrats.