Coon Come lampooned, AFN a mess

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The Assembly of First Nations' national chief is facing a credibility crisis of mounting proportions.

The issue became very public in an article in the April 3 edition of Frank, a semi-monthly satirical magazine based in the nation's capital that is feared and despised throughout official Ottawa.

The article hit the streets on March 19. It states Matthew Coon Come is spending more time on matters related to his Pentecostal Christian beliefs than he spends performing his $125,000 a year duties as chief of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN).

Those who have been "Franked" invariably say the publication relies on dubious information and doesn't allow facts to get in the way of a good story, something the magazine admits to some degree by referring to itself as part of the "satirical press." But there's always at least a kernel of truth in their stories, frequently much more than that.

Something is definitely going on at the AFN. Rumors persist that AFN staff members are looking for ways to dump their leader.

Sources say a meeting was held at the AFN building in late January or early February where an AFN employee (who is no longer with the organization) hosted a group of AFN rebels-disgruntled employees and former employees. The plan was to form a "shadow AFN" that could access government funding and proceed on a less confrontational track.

Some of the people who attended that meeting argued against such a move, saying it would play into the government's hands, and the attempted mutiny didn't materialize. But the fact that some key employees attended the meeting, including program directors, is a sign that morale is at an all-time low in the organization.

One other employee was asked to seek other employment after similar attempts at organizing were discovered by management.

Coon Come missed a meeting involving the AFN executive and the Indian Affairs minister in January. He was also a no-show at the Winnipeg meeting on governance on March 11 and 12. Sources say a travel problem was the cause of the failure to show in Winnipeg on day one, but it can't explain why he didn't appear the next day.

Staff members are definitely concerned about the direction the organization is going. This is demonstrated by the fact that resignations have become a regular occurrence in recent weeks.

At least three employees resigned in March and key staff in several program areas are said to be looking for other employment.

Coon Come's political enemies are making hay. Some point to his campaign slogan ("When did we consent to be silent?") that he directed at former national chief Phil Fontaine. Even his friends, contacted for comment or to confirm facts presented to us by unnamed sources, say the national chief needs a wake-up call before it's too late to save his administration.

More than one source said an attempt to force the national chief's resignation could be made at the annual general meeting in Montreal this July. One source suggested the organization even faces the danger of not surviving until July in its present form.

Many with long memories remember a younger Chief Coon Come slamming newly re-elected national chief Ovide Mercredi in 1994 when Mercredi failed to show up the day after his election to deal with the business end of that year's AFN annual general meeting.

"Where is Ovide? Where is Ovide?" Coon Come asked loudly, finger wagging.

A growing number of people are asking the same question of the current national chief. Informed sources say the Indian Affairs minister has succeeded in demoralizing the AFN.

With the national chief frequently missing from the national stage, Dwight Dorey, the president of the Congress of Aboriginal People, who has recently taken to calling himself the national chief, has been called the "rising star" of Indian politics in the mainstream press. That an organization that claims to represent people whether they are members or not can be taken more seriously than the nationalchiefs' organization is especially galling to many AFN veterans.

Dan Brant, the AFN Chief Executive Officer, wrote a letter to the National Post that appeared on March 21. He was striking back at an article that portrayed the Congress of Aboriginal People as a viable alternative to the AFN. But people questioned why Brant and not Chief Coon Come responded to the article.

Signs of a leadership vacuum are being seen more and more recently. The fact that some 200 of the 633 chiefs decided to hold a meeting on governance in Winnipeg could be seen as a slap in the face for the national chief.

When N.W.T. Vice Chief Bill Erasmus called for the removal of the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Canada after the national chief had taken a much less confrontational position, it looked to some that the vice chief was usurping the national chief's role.

And while Coon Come and the AFN are being shunned by the minister of Indian Affairs, one member of the executive was recently praised by the minister, who said it was "an honor to work with Satsan (British Columbia Vice Chief Herb George)."

Saskatchewan Vice Chief Perry Bellegarde, when asked by Windspeaker on March 22 if he was concerned with the state of the things at the national office, replied, "I'm not going to BS you, there is some concern there."

AFN insiders known to be loyal to the national chief aren't even trying to cover up the problems, something that is a sure sign of trouble in the traditionally secretive organization.

"If I were in your shoes, I'd be asking the same damned questions," one source said.

But the same person defended Coon Come, saying there's "no evidence he missed any meetings because of a religious event."