Phillips on the move
Lloyd Phillips has been involved with the safety and security of Kahnawake going back almost four decades now, when he got his start as a paramedic and firefighter with the Kahnawake Fire Brigade (KFB).
It’s a domain he’s stayed close to as he has cycled through elected and staff roles at the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK), whether as public safety portfolio chief or commissioner of Public Safety, a job he held for several years until leaving to serve as Council’s chief political advisor in October.
Now, with the pull of safety and security still tugging at him, he has decided to jump into the newly created role of commissioner of Public Security, not to be confused with his previous position - this new title reflects the Council’s decision to restructure public safety into two portfolios, according to MCK chief Ryan Montour.
“There’s a lot of unfinished work that I really want to see through, and now I have the opportunity to get back involved and work on public security matters,” said Phillips.
In his new role, Phillips will play an important role in advancing the Kahnawake Peacekeepers Law.
“I like to build things. I like to see things moving,” Phillips said. “I like to see advancement in the areas. In this case, Peacekeepers and policing is a cornerstone in our community for safety and security and for jurisdiction.
“I like to be at the ground level to build things where they need to be.”
He said he has seen how the current Council has put jurisdictional issues front and centre, signalling strong support for public security, citing this as another reason he decided to make the leap, especially considering his goals for the Peacekeepers’ file.
“It’s reinforcing the jurisdictional aspects of it to make sure we further advance the Peacekeeper Law to further displace the Quebec Police Act and other laws that are out there,” he said.
According to Montour, who leads the community safety portfolio, Phillips’ departure is something of a double-edged sword.
“Great for public security in Kahnawake, and bad for Council,” said Montour of his initial reaction to the news. Phillips has been a valuable asset for the Office of the Council of Chiefs, Montour said, because he’d served on both sides of the table.
“He had a well-balanced approach from a chief’s point of view,” Montour said.
However, he feels Phillips will serve the community well in his new role.
“For me, the number one trait is the ability to make decisions,” said Montour.
“Some people are kind of scared to make decisions, sometimes it prolongs the process. For me, that’s his number one trait - obviously, character, integrity, all the good character traits it takes to be a leader. It is a high-profile position. He has the experience.”
Montour first worked with Phillips as part of the COVID-19 Task Force, which Phillips led as the face of Kahnawake’s emergency response for two-and-a-half years.
“I’m certainly glad we made it through that era, and I certainly hope we never have to revisit that again,” said Phillips.
“Stuff like that, that’s why you need people in these roles, to observe what’s coming, not only for a pandemic, but for any type of security threats, public safety threats to our community. That’s why we have our emergency plan.”
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On a personal level, he sees the return to his passion for public safety as something of a coda for his career.
“I’ve been involved in public safety and security in various forms since 1988, so it’s kind of a full circle moment for me to come back and hopefully finish my professional career in this capacity,” said Phillips.
“I’m looking forward to really digging in.”
Marcus Bankuti, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
