Incumbent AFN national chief faces rivals during final round of speeches

Perry Bellegarde, the incumbent national chief for the Assembly of First Nations, faced fire Tuesday from four opponents vyingto replace him as the head of the largest and most influential Indigenous organization in the country.

Chiefs are set to vote Wednesday inVancouver atthe group's annual general assemblyfor the next national chief of theAFN.

Bellegardeconsidered to bethe front-runner reached deep into his Prairie and treaty roots to fend off criticisms that the AFN hasgrown too close to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal government.

"We did not cede or surrender or relinquish title to the Crown," said Bellegardeinhisspeech. "The principle was peaceful coexistence and mutual respect between our people. But that's not what we see today."

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However, sensing the need to respond to complaintsthat the AFNislosing touch with its members, Bellegarde saidhe would hold a special chiefs' assembly to begindiscussions on reforming the organization if re-elected.

"Our AFN has to be relevant to our people, it has to be responsive and it has to be respectful," said Bellegarde.

The AFN was created in 1982 to replaceits predecessor, the National Indian Brotherhood.

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All five candidates delivered 30-minute speeches tochiefs outlining their platforms and trying to sway the undecided.

Sheila North, a grand chief ofKeewatinowiOkimakanakwhich represents 30 First Nation communities in northern Manitoba,is aiming to become the first woman to lead theAFN. Shetook a pointed shot at Bellegarde's perceived close relationship with the Trudeau government.

"We need a national chief who can sit at the table with the Liberals without becoming one," said North,amember of theBunibonibeeCree Nation.

North also laid out her plans for her first 100 days as national chief which includes meetings in every region to set the priorities for the organization.

"It is time to change the system," said North. "Our strength is found in our traditions and our laws."

Miles Richardson, a former president of the Haida Nation, saidthat his experience fighting to assert the Haida Nation's sovereignty over its territory prepareshim to take the fight to thenational level.

"This is our time, our people, our nations, as we know ourselves to be throughout history, [we]are the equal of any nationon this earth," said Richardson."We are inferior to no one, and guided by the wisdom of our elders, we'll rebuild our nationhood."

Anothercandidate,RussDiaboofKahnawakein Quebec, saidthe organization had "strayed" from its principles and is now Ottawa's "cheerleader."

Diabosaid he was the only choice for "transformative" change of the AFN. Diabo said First Nations people are at a key juncture in their history and chiefs needed to carefullychoose whoshould lead the AFNduring this period.

"If you vote for a status-quo candidate there will be repercussions," said Diabo. "But many of our people are watching this election and they want fundamental change."

Katherine Whitcloud, a former Manitoba regional chief of the AFN, focused her speech on the need to ground the organization in traditional and spiritual ways with a focus on the next generations.

"I heard a lot of talk about money, but it's never going to close the gap," said Whitecloud."It's not about today, and it's not about winning tomorrow. It is about the life of our children and the life of our grandchildren."

AFNofficials saidthere are morethan 2,616 First Nations leaders, elders and youth registered to attend the annual general assembly.

Only chiefs of theAFN's635 member communities or their proxies are allowed to vote fora new leader. As of Tuesday morning, a spokesperson for the AFN said 522voting delegates had registered although that number could change as registration will remain open until the vote.

The AFN is a national lobby group tasked with advocating for First Nations according to directionfrom its members. Most often this involves lobbying the federal government on policy areas like health care, infrastructure, land andeducation.

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What is the AFN?

6 years ago

Duration 2:31

The Assembly of First Nations is an advocacy organization for First Nations Peoples. It's the largest one in Canada, representing more than 900,000 people from 635 communities.

The AFN is not a government and is separate from the nation-to-nation relationship between Ottawa and individual First Nations.

The assembly receives its funding from the federal government, the majority of which comes from Indigenous Affairs. That increased from $13 million in the fiscal year ending in 2016 to $32 million for 2018, according to figures presented to the conference Tuesday morning.