Ghislain Picard ‘reflecting hard’ on joining AFN race

Another potential candidate to replace former Assembly of First Nations national chief Shawn Atleo has put his name forward.
Ghislain Picard, the assembly’s regional chief for Québec and Labrador, revealed to Windspeaker that he is “reflecting hard” about a run for leadership on a platform of reforming the organization and bringing it back to its advocacy roots.

That puts the 59-year-old Innu leader in the possible running against Anishinabe’s Wab Kinew, and Perry Bellegarde, chief of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations and AFN’s regional chief for the province.

“It’s probably time for changes within the AFN,” Picard told Windspeaker in a phone interview. “The last restructuring took place in the early ’80s. Is it time to do that again? Possibly. I certainly think I can bring the capacity for that.

“I’ve been around for almost two decades now … I guess I would say I think I’ve matured somewhat, politically speaking. I certainly consider I have what it takes to do the job.”

Picard was the first executive member to publicly break with Atleo over his support of the federal Conservatives’ First Nations education bill, which would have seen billions in on-reserve investments but raised concerns it still disempowered First Nations control over their children’s learning.

The AFN Québec and Labrador launched its own legal action against the bill.

Atleo’s backing of the First Nations Control of First Nations Education Act — since put on ice by the government — was a major factor in his resignation, and saw him opposed both within the organization’s leadership circle and from grassroots advocates.

The AFN has historically oscillated between national chiefs seen as having a more conciliatory or confrontation relationship with the federal government. Observers have noted that those with the latter approach have faced crippling budget cuts over time, hampering the assembly’s impact.

Where does Picard sit on that spectrum?

“I’ve always been one to try to engage governments. In many ways we don’t really have a choice,” he replied. “We simply don’t control the political environment as much as we would like to. But it can’t be done under any conditions. Our role is to determine how it happens.

“I’m certainly one who looks at building bridges with the government, but far more important is our relationships amongst ourselves.”

Picard spoke last month at the United Nations in New York City, following the release of a final report from outgoing UN special rapporteur on Indigenous Rights, James Anaya, who supported calls for a national inquiry missing and murdered women.

“More and more, Indigenous people will lobby the international community to see that our rights are respected not only internationally but domestically as well,” he said. “It’s very sad that we have to use these forums and lobby the international community to denounce these situations.”

Originally from the Innu community of Pessamit, Québec, on the north short of the St. Lawrence Gulf, Picard worked in communications in the decade before he entered politics, including stints in journalism and co-founding an aboriginal-language community radio station in 1983.

In 2008, he co-authored a French book, the title of which translates as From Kebec to Québec: Five Centuries of Exchange Between Us. Picard has been regional chief since 1992, and in 2003 was named to the prestigious National Order of Québec.

In its June 12 newsletter, the AFN announced it would still hold its annual general assembly from July 15 to 17 in Halifax without Atleo at the helm. However, chiefs attending a special assembly in Ottawa following Atleo’s resignation recommended the National Chief elections be postponed to fall, and the organization put out a call for a chief electoral officer on May 27.

That special assembly saw 512 participants gather in Ottawa, including 263 chiefs, according to the bulletin.

The next National Chief will be the assembly’s 12th since its inception, but if elected Picard would be the body’s first Innu leader. The only leader from Québec so far was Cree leader Matthew Coon Come, who headed the AFN from 2000 to 2003 and remains Grand Chief of the Grand Council of the Crees.