UN veteran seeks Alberta AFN post

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Willie Littlechild hopes to become the Assembly of First Nations' Alberta regional chief on Oct. 6. The retiring member of the United Nations permanent forum on Indigenous issues will face off against incumbent Jason Goodstriker and others rumored to be interested in the job.

Only two candidates for the position were confirmed as our publication deadline arrived on Sept. 27. Others have until Sept. 29 to enter the race.

Goodstriker will be seeking his second three-year term when the Alberta chiefs hold their fall session in Calgary.

Littlechild, one of eight Indigenous members appointed to the permanent forum when it was created in 2000, has completed his second three-year term and there is a two-term maximum.

A citizen of the Ermineskin Cree Nation (located about 80 km south of Edmonton), he was already a fixture on the UN scene before his appointment to the permanent forum. A lawyer by training, Littlechild has represented First Nation interests at the international level for many years.

Windspeaker attended a special meeting of the Confederacy of Treaty 6 chiefs at a West Edmonton hotel on Sept. 22 where Littlechild was scheduled to provide an update on recent developments at the United Nations. During an interview, he confirmed that he was running, saying he was responding to "a very strong request from our leaders in Alberta that I get involved at home."

It's the first time in years the world traveller has had time to deal with issues in his native Alberta.

"As you know I was asked to run for [AFN] national chief, but I had already made some very strong commitments to my own community that I didn't want to breach. So this opportunity here is more fitting, I think, to try and meet those commitments that I've made at home as well."

Littlechild served as a backbench MP in the Conservative government of Brian Mulroney, representing the Wetaskiwin riding from 1988 to 1993. And he went to law school with Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice.

Windspeaker asked if that would assist him in building a relationship with the current federal government.

"Not only with the minister of Indian Affairs, but with all ministers. I think I have the fortunate experience of having been in Parliament. Some of the current members of Parliament I still know because they were there at the same time. I think that's an advantage," he said.

United Nations update

Littlechild said the Draft Declaration on Indigenous Rights was expected to go before the UN general assembly for final approval sometime in November.

"But prior to that, there are plans under way to have a session in New York around Oct. 16, to have a meeting on the declaration while all the states are present and have Indigenous leaders come and express their views as well in terms of seeking support for its adoption," he said.

He had just returned from UN headquarters in New York City after a week of meetings. He said he'd met with Bolivian President Evo Morales, who along with outgoing Mexican President Vincnte Fox, has urged that the draft declaration be approved by the UN general assembly, a call that has since been echoed by the European Union.

"When you look around the world there's actually support from every region of the world to the point where I think, at least my early estimation is that the general assembly will adopt the declaration at this session," he said.

While 12 states abstained and two states-Canada and Russia-voted against the declaration when the draft was approved by the UN Human Rights Council earlier this year, Argentina has been trying to broker an agreement that will allow the general assembly to approve it.

"Argentina will be coming with a proposal to amend the resolution that calls for the adoption of the declaration in a way that they think will bring those that abstained or those that voted against it to come onside," Littlechild said.

Willie Littlechild said he's seen the amended resolution and "would not oppose such an amendmnt."

He said work will continue amongst Indigenous delegates to eventually convert the declaration into a UN convention.

"That may be long term, but this is a very important step," he said.

Indigenous leaders in Canada were harshly critical when Canada voted against the declaration at the human rights council. And many observers believe the Harper government is indifferent at best to Indigenous issues.

"Certainly, it may be an uphill battle," Littlechild said when asked if getting Canada onside would be difficult, "but it's one we need to climb. In that regard we have tried to address all of their concerns, the express concerns that they have as to the reasons why they voted against it. We have tried to address it from a very carefully researched legal basis to try and address the concern that they have."