WASHINGTON, D. C. (March 5, 2025) – Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Linda Debassige is in Washington, D.C., from March 5 to 7, to participate in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative Annual Great Lakes Day. She will join Tribal Leaders, as well as mayors and elected officials from Ontario and Quebec advocating for the environmental health and economic prosperity of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Basin for this event. She will also be meeting with U.S. Senators and U.S. House Representatives throughout the week.

“The Anishinabek Nation calls the Great Lakes Basin home and in addition to the continued and ever-evolving issues and challenges that have long been harming and endangering all bodies of waters, it now faces potential consequences from proposed tariffs that will impact many of our First Nations,” states Grand Council Chief Linda Debassige. “While the Anishinabek Nation focuses on what we can do as a Nation to address this challenge, advocacy remains our top priority. We are here to support the Anishinabek Nation and U.S. Tribal Nations to protect our homelands and water.”

This event provides a crucial and timely platform for the Anishinabek Nation to engage directly with U.S. policymakers on issues impacting cross-border prosperity. The Great Lakes are an essential cultural asset as they house sacred sites and sustain our families and all of creation. The 25 per cent tariffs threaten the ability to invest in conservation and cultural initiatives, such as but not limited to the protection of wetlands and preventing invasive species into the Great Lakes.

“We call for immediate action to prevent further economic hardship on First Nations and Tribes and to safeguard our Great Lakes heritage. We strive to be part of the decision-making process and be recognized as the jurisdictional government of the Great Lakes system. Our inherent and treaty rights depend on a sustainable Great Lakes ecosystem, which includes water quality and quantity,” states Grand Council Chief.

There are five Great Lakes: Superior, Huron, Michigan, Ontario, and Erie. Together they comprise the largest body of freshwater making up more than 20 per cent of the world’s freshwater supply, and stretch 750 miles from east to west, bringing drinking water to approximately 40 million people and providing a home to over 4,000 species of plants and wildlife. Each region of the Anishinabek Nation— Northern Superior, Lake Huron, Southeast, and Southwest— faces unique challenges, from invasive species to nutrient loading and wetland protection.