AFN delegates vote overwhelmingly in support of embattled national chief
Chiefs representing Indigenous communities from coast to coast have descended on Vancouver for the Assembly of First Nations General Assembly — with several resolutions on the agenda that could determine the political fate of their elected leader.
National Chief RoseAnne Archibald, the first woman elected to that position, entered day one of the assembly under suspension and with her future very much in doubt.
“It’s not an easy decision. It has been based on much discussion amongst our executive,” said Regional Chief Paul Prosper who represents Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. “Many long days, many long nights.”
Archibald has been suspended with pay since June 17 over alleged workplace bullying and harassment.
But she claims the suspension is part of what she calls an attempted coup in retaliation for her attempts to shine a light on alleged corruption within the AFN.
When she campaigned for the role of national chief, she promised that if elected she would root out corruption within the organization.
“I am relentless in my pursuit of truth. Let me assure you that the struggle for transparency, accountability and truth is an honourable and worthy cause,” Chief Archibald told the assembled delegates ahead of a vote on her suspension.
The emergency resolution calling on the chiefs to uphold the suspension handed down by the executive was brought forward by Kúkpi7 Rosanne Casimir of Tk’emlups te Secwepemc who said the leadership situation had become a national embarrassment.
But Chief Archibald’s supporters fiercely defended her in the debate before the vote, asserting the members of the executive do not have the authority to suspend the elected national chief.
“They made a mistake. They should not have tried to suspend the national chief,” said Khelsilem, elected chair of the Squamish Nation. “They got caught. Now this resolution comes forward to try to fix what they shouldn’t have done in the first place.”
The resolution calling for Archibald’s suspension was roundly rejected by the chiefs with only 44 voting in support of it, 252 voting against and 26 abstentions.
Two other votes on emergency resolutions that were supposed to take place on Tuesday have been put over until Wednesday.
One calls for an independent audit of the AFN’s financial and management practices.
The other calls for a non-confidence vote in the national chief’s leadership — but based on the show of support she received on Tuesday, Archibald can probably be fairly confident in her political future.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.