Not your regular 9–5 job: First Nations chiefs in Canada

Over the years, I have given a great number of talks about the First Nations community in the academic, political, and public-service realm. On numerous occasions I have been quizzed by audience members about the incompetent and corrupt chiefs. I am also asked to defend their ‘exorbitant salaries’. To counter these misinformed and inaccurate notions, in this article I will give a more accurate depiction of the First Nations chiefs and their work life. I also explore the complex and restrictive world in which they must govern their heavily regulated and closely knit communities.