One person, one vote for grassroots

If things work out just right, grassroots people could, for the very first time, cast their vote for national chief this July.

"That's what we're hoping is going to happen," said Assembly of First Nations (AFN) renewal commission co-chair Wendy Grant-John at a press conference held in Ottawa shortly after the report was presented to the chiefs in December.

"It's going to take a monumental effort to hold a national election. We have had preliminary discussions with Elections Canada. We have a model which we believe is workable and cost-efficient," added co-chair Joe Miskokomon. "We are suggesting that, with the exclusion of northern Canada, that every First Nation have their own polling station."

Off-reserve residents would be able to cast their votes at the local friendship centre, if an agreement can be worked out between the AFN and the National Association of Friendship Centres.

"We're also talking about mail-in ballots. One of the greatest challenges we're going to have with that will be: how do we get people's actual addresses," Miskokomon said. "We look very much toward Elections Canada to give us ideas on that. It's not outside the realm of possibility that this could happen by next summer. After all, the federal government had 53 days to prepare for an election. We've got six months."

The chiefs all got a copy of the AFN renewal report when it was unveiled on Dec. 7 in Ottawa. A special assembly with the report, entitled A Treaty Among Ourselves, as the sole agenda item is scheduled be held in February.

The chiefs will debate just how much of the $2 million, 180-page report they want to see adopted. They will have 47 recommendations to consider.

Aside from allowing grassroots people to vote for the national chief, a number of other major changes have been proposed. The twice a year Confederacy of Nations meetings would be scrapped under the proposal. Chiefs would gather for the annual general meeting, usually held in July, and for special assemblies as required.

To eliminate the regional differences that have paralyzed theorganization at times, the renewal commission proposed the creation of a new body within the AFN. Grant-John said a body with clearly defined responsibility for national issues can help the AFN escape the political gridlock that comes when different regions require different approaches on basic issues.

The national agenda, she said, could continue under the stewardship of the nationally elected national chief while the regional chiefs could still take the approach required in their region on local issues. Critics of the assembly have pointed out in the past that regional chiefs have no national mandate, yet they sit on the national executive and make decisions on national issues.

"One of the recommendations we're making is that we have a national council," said Grant-John. "And that council will have a national agenda. One of the issues is the idea of the regional chiefs having a priority driven by their chiefs that's more regional in scope other than to work with the national chief in a national agenda. So we're trying to address it from that perspective so that the national council does have that responsibility. And the national chief very clearly does have the authority to be the person at the lead for that national council."

She said that critics who say the charter requires that the national chief represent the chiefs rather than be their leader are missing the point of what the job entails.

"I think when you call it a spokesperson, it's a misrepresentation of what the responsibility really is. It's much more than just a spokesperson. That's a given by the chiefs themselves and so we've tried to change the charter to put a little more into that area for the national chief," she said.

The report also calls for the creation of a First Nation auditor general and a First Nations Ombudsman. There might be some confusion since the agreement reached during the first ministers' meeting in Kelowna in late November 2005 also called for the creation of a First Nations auditor general. The national chief said having two plans probably won't present a problem.

"This is a recommendation and it's quite conceivable that these two ideas will become one idea," he said.
Talks with the defeated Liberal government were progressing on this issue. It's hard to say right now if those talks will continue under the new Harper government.

"The discussions we've had among ourselves and with the Treasury Board President Reg Alcock and the auditor general have been a more broadly based undertaking than is described in the [renewal] report," Fontaine explained. "We're going to proceed with further discussions. It'll be a First Nations' institution but completely independent from the Assembly of First Nations."

Grant-John said the First Nation auditor general would enforce the new accountability measures included in the report.

"The commission proposes creation of the office of the First Nations auditor general who will be independent and operate at arm's length from the AFN executive, the AFN secretariat and the national chief's office. First Nations in assembly shall appoint the auditor general," she said. "The responsibilities will be to monitor, investigate and review AFN operations, performance and implementation of AFN mandates, resolutions and policy [and] review and monitor AFN leaders' compliance with the oath of office, code of conduct and conflict of interest declarations [and] monitor, investigate and report on the operations and accounts of First Nations institutions that have as a condition of receiving the support of the AFN for their establishment and ongoing operations."

The auditor general would report to the chiefs in assembly on results of any investigations, she added.
The commission held 27 public hearings from coast to coast to coast and also conducted three separate focus groups that included traditional leaders and Elders.

Miskokomon pointed out that there have been 24 studies conducted on AFN renewal in 25 years. He said 24 per cent of the participants in the public hearings were chiefs, eight per cent were councillors, three per cent were representatives of tribal councils, 15 per cent from political territorial organizations.

A full third of the more than 1,000 participants were grassroots people, he added.

"Public interest is high," he said

While some of the meetings were sparsely attended, Miskokomon said his commission fared well when compared to others.

"On a per hearing basis, we had 17 presenters. When we compared to the royal commission, they had 21. The Manitoba Justice Inquiry had 15 people per hearing. I think we had a very successful turnout," he said.
Speaking to the chiefs, some of whom have expressed concern that their influence will be undermined by grassroots participation, Grant-John let it be known that the chiefs will still be in charge.

"There are 47 recommendations for AFN renewal contained in the commission's report. The recommendations provide for changes in the AFN's structure, processes and assembly rules. And they will make the AFN more accountable to First Nations leadership," she said. "Most First Nations have established procedures and organizations for the management, administration and/or direct delivery of programs and services. The AFN will maintain its advocacy and support role in this regard. However, working as equal participants in Confederation and backed by assembly resolutions, the AFN has an essential role to play as an advocate on such issues as education, housing, self-determination and the entire continuum of social issues facing First Nations people. The recommendations throughout the report have been designed to help the AFN advocate in a more representative, responsive and effective way than has been possible in the past."