Mission impossible for next top chief?

The Assembly of First Nations is at a critical point as an organization and not only around whom it will choose as its next leader, but also how the leadership contest is undertaken.

There is potential for divisiveness, said Trent University Professor David Newhouse, who lectures on Indigenous politics and Aboriginal governance.

“(The potential leader) needs to be able to bring people together so that the AFN can speak with some authority and some sense of united voice. They need to have a plan how they’re going to bring people togetherÖ and lay out a bit of a vision for the Assembly of First Nations,” said Newhouse, who is Onondoga from the Six Nations of the Grand River.

Chiefs and their delegates will be selecting the next leader in a Special Chiefs Assembly to be held in Winnipeg, Dec. 9 to Dec. 11. The national chief will serve three-and-a-half years, fulfilling the end of Shawn Atleo’s term. Atleo stepped down in his second term as National Chief on May 2.

Delegates had two other options for choosing the national chief: one in October, which was seen as too soon, and the other July 2015, which could have coincided with the federal election.

“There was a general agreement that it was better sooner than later in terms of choosing a new national chief,” said AFN Interim National Chief Ghislain Picard. “The quicker we choose a leader, the more stable politics will be within the AFN.”

There are no official takers for the position yet. Nominations open Oct. 14 and close Nov. 4.

Picard said he is considering running, but needs to look at both professional and personal commitments before he makes his decision.

But having been both spokesperson for the organization since Atleo’s sudden resignation and now interim national chief, as well as serving under a number of national chiefs, Picard said he has a strong understanding of what the position entails.

“The AFN is certainly going through some hard times,” he said, noting there is much diversity within the AFN and many issues that need to move forward. “The (new) leader has to be able to listen but also to find ways to find some middle ground and balance in the position. That certainly needs to be key; not (be) open to one group over another.”

Picard also stresses that a review of the AFN’s structure and decision-making process is required and the next leader needs to guide that work.

Not only does Newhouse agree with Picard’s assessment that the 32-year-old organization needs to change, but Newhouse contends that Picard would be a strong choice to lead that change.

“He has the skills that can bring people together. He has national perspective. He’s grounded in his culture. He speaks his language. He has a lot of experience,” said Newhouse.

Newhouse also sees Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations Grand Chief Perry Bellegarde and Wab Kinew, director of Indigenous Inclusion at the University of Winnipeg, as strong contenders. Both have expressed interest. In 2009, Bellegarde took Atleo to a record eight ballots. Bellegarde did not run in 2012.

Pam Palmater was Atleo’s closest rival in 2012, with Atleo winning on the third ballot and more than doubling Palmater’s vote. Newhouse anticipates Palmater will run again but he does not see her as a viable leader.

“She’s quite divisive. I don’t think she has the skills to bring people together,” he said.

As women contenders go, Newhouse offers up Roberta Jamieson, president of Indspire (formerly the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation).

“The leader needs to be able to build some consensus, needs to be able to walk a fine line between working with government, working with chiefs and … he has to very clearly show that his alliance is primarily with First Nations,” said Newhouse.

Newhouse believes that at this stage of the AFN’s existence, the new leader will be taking on two distinct tasks: the internal workings of the organization and battling the Harper government for changes.

Internally, the new leader has to build a broad base of support; forge an agenda driven by two or three key advocacy issues, which needs to be developed both through his leadership and feedback from chiefs; relate to the off-reserve population, which continues to grow; understand Indigenous history while developing a vision; and be strong in his culture, traditions, and language.

“Treaty is the huge, huge issue internally,” said Newhouse. “How do you begin to advance treaty rights? Particularly since the treaty lobby in the west is very strong… and they want that to dominate the agenda.”

At the national level, Newhouse says the new leader faces an increasingly divisive environment working with a government that “doesn’t seem to listen and has its own agenda and is mistrusted by most Aboriginal people and most First Nations leaders.”

Education and economic development are issues that will dominant the federal agenda and will prove to be a difficult battle.

“There’s a growing sense that the (residential school) apology was a bit of a shallow exercise,” said Newhouse.

Newhouse says that despite the internal struggles AFN is facing, a strong First Nations advocate organization is still needed and it is paramount that AFN bring the public on side.

The road ahead is not an easy one for the new national chief, he said.

“They’ll have to walk on water.”