“Together today for our children tomorrow.”

The Council of Yukon First Nations (CYFN) motto is also the principle that will guide Peter Johnston when he assumes the role of grand chief late this month.

“That slogan will never die,” the 43-year-old Johnston said in an interview Wednesday afternoon.

“It’s not just me. It’s a team. It’s about building that collective approach.”

The former chief of Teslin Tlingit Council will be acclaimed to lead the CYFN after Tuesday’s nomination deadline expired with no other candidates having come forward.

He will be sworn in as grand chief during the CYFN’s general assembly in Little Salmon/Carmacks First Nation traditional territory late this month.

Johnston said he is honoured to have been given the opportunity to lead the CYFN and that he stepped up for the position because he feels a sense of duty.

“I feel there’s an obligation, responsibility to give back, and I feel I have enough wealth and experience to offer something new to the organization,” he told the Star.

“It’s always been a dream of mine, part of my goals. I’ve set goals for myself in my life and this is one,” he said.

Johnston was surprised to learn he had been acclaimed, and also relieved.

Campaigning can be tough on the spirit and on one’s family, Johnston said. He experienced some of that negativity in his two previous runs for chief of Teslin Tlingit Council.

Johnston has spent much of his life serving his community. He has held various positions on the Teslin Tlingit Council, sat on the board of Dèslin Development Corp., and co-chaired the Yukon First Nation Education Advisory Committee.

Those roles, along with his experience in the private sector as aboriginal liaison at Northwestel Inc., will inform how he leads the CYFN, he said.

Northwestel has given Johnston three years’ leave so he can focus on his duties as grand chief.

The next step is to engage with the communities, something Johnston says will be very important to him in his new job.

“I’ve developed my own opinions over the years but at the end of the day, it’s about getting out to the communities, and hearing from the leadership and elders of each community,” he said.

Johnston said he has always admired the late chief Elijah Smith, who started the Yukon Native Brotherhood and who, in 1973, helped draft a position paper that was instrumental in bringing about First Nations self-government in the Yukon.

The document was presented to then-prime minister Pierre Trudeau, and was called Together Today for our Children Tomorrow.

“There’s a story to tell from the First Nations perspective,” said Johnston.

“From a historical context, it’s a remarkable opportunity to be involved and to be recognized as a leader in CYFN, carry on the legacy of CYFN.”

Outgoing Grand Chief Ruth Massie has been unavailable Wednesday and today for comment on the pending leadership change.