The sweeping decision to remove RoseAnne Archibald as the first female leader of Canada’s largest First Nations rights organization “was not taken lightly,” her interim replacement said Tuesday, as some leaders continued to press for the ousted national leader to be reinstated.
Joanna Bernard, Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Regional Chief for New Brunswick, who is temporarily assuming national leadership, addressed the AFN Annual General Meeting in Halifax on Tuesday morning to first time since the resounding departure of RoseAnne Archibald at the end of June. The national chief was the target of complaints from her staff about her conduct.
“We know the decision was not taken lightly and was the result of careful consideration by the leaders and representatives of our nations,” she said. Ms Bernard added that as interim chief she was committed to maintaining stability.
The former national leader, elected in 2021, herself appeared virtually before the assembly on Tuesday, accusing the leadership of the APN of silencing the voices of those who questioned her ousting. “It is a senseless process, which is unfair, which does not allow accountability for the political coup that took place against me by the regional leaders,” she said.
She feels that the organization has “gone off the rails” and she called on leaders and supporters to urge the organization to reinstate her. In an earlier statement, she said she could still attend the annual meeting in person, which runs until Thursday.
After the opening speeches on Tuesday morning, Bruce Archibald, Chief of the Taykwa Tagamou Nation in northwestern Ontario, was one of three chiefs who presented motions to reinstate the former national chief, calling his ousting “very unfair”. “I feel today that we don’t know what’s really going on,” he said.
These motions were not adopted by the general meeting.
Not all of the AFN leaders were present when Ms. Archibald’s impeachment vote took place at a special, virtual assembly on June 28. But of the 231 chiefs who participated in the vote, 71% supported his ouster.
The special meeting, held less than two weeks before this week’s annual general meeting, was called to respond quickly to the findings of an investigation into the complaints of five AFN staff members against the conduct of the chief national.
Harassment complaints
An independent external investigation concluded that some of Ms. Archibald’s behavior constituted harassment. Investigators also found that she violated the organization’s policies by retaliating against complainants and breaching the confidentiality of the investigation.
B.C. regional chief Terry Teegee told reporters Tuesday that while not all chiefs were in attendance on June 28, the decision was made by chiefs, not members of the executive committee. ‘APN, whom Ms Archibald has accused of orchestrating her ousting. “We followed the rules […] and it was decided by the chiefs. »
The fact that Ms. Archibald was the first woman to hold the position of national chief, however, chilled other women leaders, admitted Joyce Naytowhow McLeod, chief of the Montreal Lake First Nation in Saskatchewan. She called the decision to oust Ms Archibald “shameful”, adding that it made her feel “powerless” in her own role.
“The message is […] “stay silent, do not express yourselves”. We, women leaders, we hear enough of this kind of talk at home. »
As chiefs elect permanent replacement for RoseAnne Archibald in December, Chief Bernard hopes ‘strong women leaders’ will come forward, but stressed First Nations chiefs should select a committed candidate for unity , regardless of gender.
Ms Bernard told chiefs on Tuesday morning that work was underway to address organizational shortcomings and “rebuild staff morale”. She highlighted efforts to strengthen whistleblower and complaints policies, the code of conduct and the harassment reporting process.
The Acting Chief promised that ultimately the AFN wants to provide a “safe and supportive environment, where all individuals can speak out without fear of reprisal”.
RoseAnne Archibald maintained that she had been targeted for fighting corruption and demanding a financial audit of the APN.
In her speech on Tuesday, Ms Bernard expressed some openness to Ms Archibald’s request for an audit, saying the organization’s financial statements are audited annually, but she dismissed the former chief’s allegations of spending problematic.
If a committee set up to look into the matter deems an audit is necessary, “we will follow its directives,” Ms. Bernard said.
Before the start of the general assembly, the organization also announced that it was sharing the independent and audited financial statements for the past ten years which, according to the APN, confirm “the absence of any financial concerns”.
A big distraction
Chief Teegee meanwhile was disappointed that all the focus on Ms Archibald’s leadership had slowed progress on key issues, including access to clean water, housing, the drug crisis and change. climatic. He does not go so far as to say that files have completely derailed, but he recognizes that all this agitation has slowed down the work of the APN.
A Nova Scotia chief urged the general assembly to take action to address more important issues. “As we debate the agenda, we have people in our community who are living in poverty, who are being murdered, a Winnipeg dump that is not being searched,” said Annie Bernard-Daisley, co-chair of the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq Chiefs.
“The longer we delay, the less we will do for our own people. Let’s leave our ego in the locker room and do our job. »
Acting Chief Bernard told the Chiefs in her opening remarks Tuesday morning that the ousting of Ms. Archibald puts the organization in transition mode, but she recalled that the AFN had overcome many challenges before.
First Nations chiefs are meeting until Thursday to discuss, among other things, Indigenous policing, self-government for Métis communities and safe drinking water supplies. The December election and the appointment of a Chief Electoral Officer are also on the agenda, as well as speeches by federal ministers.