Grassroots shut out until chiefs step in

The need for change within the Assembly of First Nations was underscored Dec. 9 when a university student was shut down as he attempted to ask a question of the three candidates for the position of national chief during a forum.

“I cannot acknowledge you. You do not have a chief badge,” said Chief Electoral Officer Loretta Pete Lambert to Clifford Sinclair, who stood at one of six microphones on the floor.

Sinclair demanded to be heard and shouts from the crowd backed him up saying chiefs needed to listen to the grassroots. But Sinclair’s microphone remained turned off.

Eventually, Sinclair was given the floor when two chiefs provided him with their badges.

“This young gentleman wants to say a few words,” said Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation Chief Tony Alexis, whose lanyard was draped around Sinclair’s neck. “He comes to you from the grassroots. He’s also a student. He studies literature.”

Sinclair asked the question that had been a part of the campaign platforms for candidates Perry Bellegarde, Leon Jourdain and Ghislain Picard.

“You are making decisions that will affect me and all Indigenous people and yet I have no say in who my grand chief is,” said Sinclair. “How can I expect you to fight for my rights if you’re not empowered by me and by the people?”

Sinclair is one of a growing number of First Nations people who call urban settings their home. How the AFN will address this demographic has been hotly discussed and all three candidates agree changes are needed to the organization’s structure. Yet the presentation by an ad hoc task force looking at restructuring the AFN drew little attention from chiefs earlier in the day.

“I’m a little disappointed that there are more of our citizens in this room right now than there are chiefs and none of the (AFN) executive,” said Six Nation Chief Ava Hill, who is part of the ad hoc task force. “Because this is important. It’s important to us… We have heard chief after chief say we have to restructure the AFN.”

Hill pointed out that there has been no money set aside to examine the issue despite back-to-back resolutions in 2013 and 2014 to look at restructuring and rebuilding. Any chief who was interested in the discussion had to get his own funding to attend meetings.

“I think it’s very necessary that the chiefs have the opportunity to have a good debate about this,” said Hill, but she noted that would not be happening after her presentation, both due to the lack of chiefs and the lack of time allotted on the agenda to the subject.

Hill said the push to restructure the AFN has come about through the realization that “more and more … our people want to be involved” and included in that discussion is whether or not the national chief should be elected through a universal vote. She said changes, which initially were looked at eight years ago, can no longer be ignored, considering the birth of the grassroots movement Idle No More and the unexpected resignation in May of Shawn Atleo as national chief.

Hill said restructuring would fall under short-term and long-term goals, an approach that all three candidates embraced when they responded to Sinclair’s question.

Both Picard and Bellegarde said amendments to the AFN charter could be done quickly, but both agreed that changing how the national chief was elected was not as easily dealt with.

“The question you raise is a little more longer-term and if the chiefs are open-minded to look at that, then we can look at that,” said Bellegarde.

Picard agreed it would have to be a recommendation that came from the chiefs.

“Everybody needs to belong and right now that’s not happening,” said Jourdain. “It’s not rocket science to involve the people on the ground.”

Hill encouraged the chiefs in the room to take the issue back to their communities for discussion. She said setting a timeline for July for an initial report from a working group was feasible.

“If the work is not completed by July, come back in July and say you need more time,” she said. “We’ve got to get together, trying our best do it right this time. Take, I guess, as long as it takes.”

In his acceptance speech as new national chief, Bellegarde set the AFN charter as one of his priority issues.

Photo caption: Members of the ad hoc committee looking at changes to the Assembly of First Nations  are (from left): Kahnawà:ke Chief Lloyd Philips, host Mathieu Courchene, Six Nations Chief Ava Hill and Association of Iroquois and Allied Indians Grand Chief Gord Peters.