Chief Kelsey Jacko of Cold Lake First Nations (Łue Chok Tuę́) has been serving his people as Chief since June 2022, after having been elected three times as a Councillor.
Chief Jacko is close to the struggles of his relations, and a staunch defender of compassionate action towards his fellow community members and the lands that have supported them since time immemorial.
He is fighting for his Nation to regain Food Sovereignty, and to reconnect with the gifts of the lands.
He is a defender of Cariboo, supporting his nation to achieve a Section-Eleven agreement with Canada to enable their protection, and believes strongly that caring for the lands and the people are intertwined.
As a Nation on the edge of the Boreal, Chief Jacko’s community has recently hosted wildfire evacuees, and he is acutely aware of the logistical barriers facing remote communities both in times of crisis and everyday services.
After the Draft Long Term Reform Agreement was rejected by the Nations in Assembly in October 2024, Chief Jacko was nominated by his colleagues at Treaty Six to offer his services on the National Children’s Chiefs Commission with Chief Desmond Bull. He committed himself in Ceremony to the work at Squamish Nation in January and has been attending weekly meetings ever since in an effort to get Canada back to the negotiating table.