Four, so far, hope to compete for top AFN job

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As of May 17, with just over two weeks to go before the official cut-off date, three present or former grand chiefs and one grandmother have decided they want the national chief's job.

The election for grand chief of the Assembly of First Nations is set for the Ottawa Civic Centre during the AFN's annual general meeting, a three-day affair which begins July 11.

Nomination papers must be filed with the AFN's chief electoral officer, Robert Johnson of the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation in Ontario, by midnight June 5. Each hopeful is expected to present the signatures of 15 members of the AFN - eight from his or her own region and the other seven from other parts of the country.

Marilyn Buffalo, who resigned as president of the Native Women's Association of Canada on April 2, citing personal reasons, was the first candidate to make her intentions known when, on April 30, she told this newspaper she was beginning her campaign.

Buffalo's announcement was followed by the former grand chief of the Grand Council of the Crees (northern Quebec), Matthew Coon Come, on May 11. Mushkegowuk Council (Northern Ontario) Grand Chief Lawrence Martin issued a press release revealing his candidacy on May 17. The rumor mill indicates there may be others who will surface by the deadline.

Two people who were rumored to be considering a run at National Chief Phil Fontaine's job have clearly indicated they won't do so. Akwesasne Grand Chief Mike Mitchell and Alberta's Harold Cardinal told Windspeaker this month they definitely won't be in the running.

Fontaine had not officially declared his candidacy as of May 17, but an organization called Friends of Phil Fontaine has sent out invitations to a fund raiser for him at the end of May. In the invitation, it states clearly that Fontaine intends to run. Attempts to reach the national chief for comment on the election were not successful.

Buffalo, 50, said she'd made her decision to run for the AFN job before she resigned from NWAC but didn't feel the timing was right to disclose that information at the time.

While dealing with an election process where only chiefs vote, the Samson Cree Nation (Alberta) member, nonetheless, wants to put the problems faced by poor grassroots people at the top of her list of campaign issues. Buffalo believes it's possible to earn the support of the majority of the elected chiefs across the country by putting the job of improving social conditions and living standards on reserves at the top of her priority list.

"My main issue, the number one issue and my main reason for running, is to combat poverty," she said. "What are we going to do to align ourselves politically so that we can take some position on that issue?"

She said her travels as NWAC president have shown her that many First Nations people live in desperate circumstances.

"Everywhere I've gone in the last six years, I've seen a tremendous amount of poverty and despair and hopelessness," she said, when asked why she's running, "particularly with the young people. The situation has gotten a lot worse. I think it's time to take a very common sense and practical approach to leadership. It really isn't about politics anymore. It's all about what do we need to do to get ready to be setting a course for the new millennium. And who better to do it than somebody who's had 30 years of experience at the community level. I know what it takes to raise a family by myself. I can say I truly understand the plight of our people and it's not something that's just academic."

Coon Come, 43, completed his fourth term as Grand Chief in 1999 and chose not to run for another term. His list of accomplishments in that position is long and impressive. After serving two terms as chief of his home territory, the Mistissini First Nation, he became executive director of the grand council before being elected grand chief in 1987. When reached by phone, he confirmed he intends to run but said he preferred not to articipate in a full-scale interview until his nomination papers are approved.

"But I am throwing my hat in there," he said. "I have, of course, my own ideas, but I want to make sure that I consult the people across Canada before I finalize my platform."

Martin, 44, was attending a conference in Phoenix, Ariz. when he was reached by phone. As a central figure in the Mushkegowuk court victory against the work-fare provisions of the Ontario government, Martin believes that Ontario Court of Justice decision has cleared the way for First Nations to form a third order of government and his election platform will be based on the idea that it's time to create a national Indigenous legislative body where leaders from across the country would gather to make policy and create laws that will benefit all First Nations.

"It's hard to look at a community that can handle all these suicides that are going on, to handle all the other social problems that are there, to handle all these housing situations that we have, without a proper government organization in place to do it," he said. "To me, the big emphasis I'm pushing to our people is, 'Let's get organized. Let's set up our constitutions. Let's set up our governments. Let's set up our sovereign nations and let's really push for that on a national basis.'"

A Juno award winning recording artist and the former mayor of Sioux Lookout, Ont., Martin is looking for a new challenge.

"The experience I had with Mushkegowuk has really helped, just to bring people together. It's the idea that they're part of a nation. They feel really proud. There is a feeling and a sense that we belong somewhere. We're not Indian communities that are always in dire straits. It gives us an opportunity to get excited again, that we're somebody, that we can do something about it and we can work at it and not just deal with the government's self-government process. This whole Gathering Strength process is just a transfer of administrative duties. It does't go far enough to address our sovereign rights to becoming the third order of government in Canada. In Canada, colonialism is still alive and very strong but it's quite subtle in its ways. Unfortunately, we've been so busy and focused in this selfgovernment process we haven't even lifted our heads to look beyond the horizon."

Martin wants to make sure that the AFN is restructured so that grassroots people can participate in the political process. Like so many candidates before her, Buffalo also said she'd consider electoral reform so that grassroots people - not just chiefs - could vote for the national chief, and added that she'd like to see a four or five year term of office.

"Three years goes by so quickly," she said.

She also would like to find a way to include not just the grassroots people but the traditional people who don't vote or, in many cases, support or even believe in the legitimacy of the elected system.

"How are we going to honor and respect the hereditary chiefs. That's what we're really striving for is self determination and how are we going to achieve that? There must be some creative ways to work together. Remember, Delgamuukw is a hereditary chief and yet you haven't been to many conferences where his name isn't mentioned 10 times or more."