Chief Lonechild seeks to remain until end of term

One month after his driving under the influence (DUI) charges became public and with one and half years left in his term, Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN) Chief Guy Lonechild is contending with the people who want him out of office.

The latest call for his resignation comes from five former FSIN Chiefs, who stated in a letter that the honourable thing for Chief Lonechild to do is to step down.

“This is by no means a commentary on his current legal and personal troubles as we are all human and have all made mistakes in the past,” stated the letter from former chiefs Lawrence Joseph, Blaine Favel, Sol Sanderson, Roland Crowe, and Alphonse Bird. Perry Bellegarde is the only former living chief who did not put his name in the letter.

“It is requested due to the simple fact that the current turmoil and conflict amongst the Saskatchewan leadership is unprecedented in the history of the organization and it must now cease,” said the letter, adding that without the unity of chiefs on each issue, Chief Lonechild’s leadership will be weakened and have little impact in larger society.

Chief Lonechild responded with a March 3 statement that the door to the Office of the Chief is always open for those who want to speak to him about the matter.
As well, he wants to keep working on the revitalization of the FSIN and the rebuilding of the First Nations University of Canada, which for the first time will see zero debt.

“The voice of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations has never been stronger when dealing with government and industry,” Chief Lonechild stated. “Meetings continue with government and industry executives on important matters such as education, child welfare, employment and resource revenue sharing. We are making significant advancements in these key sectors with a number of initiatives that require immediate attention.”

He added that his pledge is to lead these endeavours to full and final completion.

One month ago, an article in the Star Phoenix made known to the public that Chief Lonechild appeared in Saskatoon court on DUI charges for an incident stemming approximately one month before he was elected FSIN chief on Oct. 29, 2009.

At the time, he was stopped by police in Saskatoon, and charged with drunk driving and refusing a breathalyzer. However, the breathalyzer charges were later dropped when Chief Lonechild pled guilty to the DUI charges.
His March 23 court date was moved to Rosthern, which resulted in some criticism from chiefs at a February chiefs assembly that Chief Lonechild was being secretive about the charges.

Some chiefs called for his resignation and resolutions were put forth to force him to resign – both were unsuccessful. It is expected that a vote of non-confidence will eventually be called which, if passed by enough chiefs, would see Chief Lonechild booted out of his position.

On March 9, Chief Lonechild’s lawyer, Jeff Howe, told media Chief Lonechild’s court date and location was moved to March 15 in Saskatoon.

He said the decision was made so Chief Lonechild could attend to his political duties, as he would need to be in Regina when the provincial budget was released on March 23. As well, Chief Lonechild seeks to have the matter dealt with as quickly and efficiently as possible in a manner that is open and transparent, Howe said.

Chief Lonechild did not respond to a request for a Sage interview.