The prize is a three-year term where the lucky winner fights off federal politicians, the bureaucracy and the assembly's own chiefs.
The election for the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations must be one of the most demanding leadership campaigns in the country. The delegates must campaign in far-flung communities across a huge land mass and then attend the convention where a 60 per cent majority is required to attain the office.
The cost is prohibitive, and the prize is a three-year term where the lucky winner fights off federal politicians, the bureaucracy and their own chiefs. It’s a thankless job and this time six candidates vied for it.
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The previous national chief, RoseAnne Archibald, spent most of her time in office fighting off the opposition. She was ousted last spring with only six months left in her term. It meant an interim chief took over before the election could be held.
Archibald didn’t break any rules; she was accused of being mean to the staff and the chiefs bought it. I have seen this before where a chief spent time in office fighting back votes of non-confidence and backstabbing.
The national chief serves a three-year term. Archibald was elected in the spring of 2021 and her term in office was to last until the spring of 2024. Instead, she was ousted a year early and the AFN is now holding a special chief’s election.
The 60 per cent majority is a major hurdle in a close race. Cindy Woodhouse was clearly in the lead throughout all the ballots. On the sixth ballot, she had a majority, but her closest rival, David Pratt from Saskatchewan, insisted on staying in the race.
After that it became a war of attrition as more and more chiefs left to catch their flights and return home.
The other factor leading to dysfunction is the policy of one chief, one vote. This policy doesn’t take into consideration the varied population of the First Nations. For example, the Six Nations of the Grand River is the country’s largest First Nation with more than 27,000 citizens.
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Compare that to the many small nations with around 500 population and the balance of power shifts in their favour.
The Haudenosaunee Nations of Six Nations, Kanehsatake, Akwesasne and Kahnawake have a combined population of more than 50,000 and yet they have four votes. Treaty Seven in southern Alberta consists of five large First Nations with a combined population of close to 20,000, but only five votes.
In Saskatchewan the FSIN has votes based on the population of each First Nation, which is much more equitable.
The Liberal party has an unwritten practice of switching from a francophone leader to one from English Canada. The AFN has a practice of alternating between the numbered treaties of the west and First Nations with Aboriginal rights or treaties of peace and friendship.
The population distribution of the First Nations is the opposite to settler Canada with 60 per cent of the population in the four western provinces, whereas 50 per cent of the Canadian population lives in the Montreal-Toronto-London corridor.
Politics make strange bedfellows. Reg Bellerose is from Saskatchewan, but he put his support behind Dean Sayers from Ontario. Sheila North is from Manitoba, but instead of supporting Woodhouse, who is also from Manitoba, she placed her support behind Pratt.
Bellerose and North both ran in previous elections for national chief. This time neither made the final ballot, indicating that the assembly wanted someone new.
In the end, neither candidate received 60 per cent of the vote and Pratt announced that he would withdraw. This cumbersome rule that 60 per cent is required should be revised by the chiefs at a future meeting.
The new chief, Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, has her work cut out for her. She was formerly the Manitoba vice-chief of the AFN, so she has the experience, and she knows what challenges lie before her.
The chiefs of the Assembly of First Nations must get their act together and pull in the same direction. It was pointed out repeatedly by chiefs in the assembly that they had to have unity to be successful.
Chief Woodhouse is the second woman to lead the organization in its history and it reflects the increasing role that First Nations women are playing in First Nations politics.
Doug Cuthand is the Indigenous affairs columnist for the Saskatoon StarPhoenix and the Regina Leader-Post. He is a member of the Little Pine First Nation.
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