Traditional Emphasis: Phil Fontaine

Phil Fontaine: Thanks to a deeply ingrained culture of consensus-based decision-making, group meetings in First Nations communities have been known to drag on for hours, as everybody in attendance gets to have a say. , according to Winnipeg Free Press. Given the traditional emphasis on inclusion, it's ironic to see former national chief Phil Fontaine booed off a University of Winnipeg stage by First Nations protesters who helped perpetuate a stereotype far worse than that of a never-ending community meeting. Phil Fontaine To an outsider, this may seem honourable but inefficient. The European version of democracy involves appointing a small number of people to speak on behalf of everybody else. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.