Bellegarde returns to lead FSIN for third time

Putting aside differences and working together were the messages delivered by the interim Chief, outgoing Chief and new Chief for the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations.
Before voting on Oct. 25, Bobby Cameron, who serves as Second Vice Chief but took over as Interim Chief during the election period, was adamant about coming together.

“I can’t stress this enough that whoever we choose, we support that person. We can’t hold grudges, we can’t hold any bad feelings inside. We listen today to any of our kookums and mooshums and Elders: that’s who we support and move forward,” he said.

That support was given to Perry Bellegarde, who was selected as the new Chief of FSIN on the first ballot. Bellegarde received 488 votes. Morley Watson, who stepped in to fill the position when former Chief Guy Lonechild resigned in the final year of his term, finished third with 182 votes. Delbert Wapass received 240 votes.
“The election is over. We need to come together, north, south, east and west. We need all of our treaty territories … to work together. We need all of our nations … to come together again now,” Bellegarde said in his address when accepting his new position.

It was the same message delivered by Watson.

“We talk about unity, if unity starts today maybe the battles we face tomorrow can be a lot better,” he said.

Also elected, was Kim Jonathan as First Vice Chief. Jonathan won a tight race against Sheldon Wuttunee. She garnered 457 votes to Wuttunee’s 448. Jonathan is the first woman to serve on the FSIN since its restructuring in 1982.

“When we think about going forward, it’s not an I, it’s a we as family, all of us,” Jonathan said.

For Bellegarde, who is chief of Little Black Bear First Nation, it is his third time heading the FSIN. He was elected as chief of the FSIN in 1995 and 1998. Bellegarde made a run for the position of National Chief for the Assembly of First Nations in 2009, taking winner Shawn Atleo to eight ballots. Bellegarde did not challenge Atleo for the position in 2012.

Bellegarde called his return to FSIN head “an honour and humbling experience.”

He pledged to return the organization to its days as a leader for First Nations issues.

“We’re going to build it back up to where it was again so that there is that respect, that relevancy, and the responsiveness,” he said.  “We pledge our hard work, our openness, our transparency, our honesty, and to never ever surrender and give up that fight for our inherent rights and jurisdiction….I will not let you down. Let’s build this up again.”

Office of Third Vice Chief was retained by Edward (Dutch) Lerat by acclamation. Rounding out the executive is  Fourth Vice Chief Simon Bird. Elections were not held for the positions of second and fourth vice chiefs this year.