AFN National Chief RoseAnne Archibald attends a commemorative ceremony, Raising the Survivors Flag, on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on June 21, 2023.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
The Assembly of First Nations has voted overwhelmingly to dismiss National Chief RoseAnne Archibald, a stunning rebuke to a leader whose term has been beset by acrimony since she was elected two years ago.
On Wednesday, 71 per cent of the 231 chiefs who voted concluded they had no confidence in her leadership. The Assembly of First Nations is Canada’s largest Indigenous advocacy organization, representing more than 900,000 First Nations people in 634 communities. The national chief plays a key role in influencing government policy of importance to First Nations and deals with federal government officials, including the Prime Minister and cabinet ministers.
Phil Fontaine, an Ojibwa from the Sagkeeng First Nation who was national chief for three, three-year terms with the last ending in 2009, confirmed the non-confidence vote and said he hopes Ms. Archibald abides by the decision. He said to his knowledge, it’s the first time the AFN has thrown out its leader.
“I’m hopeful that it doesn’t compromise the integrity of the AFN as the political voice for First Nations in every part of the country,” he told The Globe and Mail on Wednesday. “Given the strong call for her to resign, I think that would be the appropriate course of action on her part: to honour the results of the vote.” He did not believe there was any legal route for Ms. Archibald keeping her position.
Ms. Archibald was not immediately available for comment Wednesday evening.
Nova Scotia Regional Chief Paul Prosper issued a statement on behalf of the AFN offering Ms. Archibald best wishes in her “future endeavours” and saying the AFN is now focused on what’s ahead.
“We look forward to getting back to the important work of advancing First Nations priorities and acting on behalf of the best interests of our communities,” he said.
Just days after Ms. Archibald became the first woman to lead the organization, The Globe and Mail reported on a confidential report examining allegations of bullying behaviour toward staff by the chief when she was the AFN’s regional Ontario chief, a role she assumed in 2018.
Last June, Ms. Archibald was suspended by the AFN, but she argued at last summer’s AFN assembly in Vancouver that her suspension was unlawful. In her address, she doubled down on her allegations of corruption within the AFN, calling it the “most widely known secret in Indian country.”
Ms. Archibald had earlier alleged that staff were attempting to smear her to cover up wrongdoing within the organization.
Assembly chiefs gathered in a virtual meeting Wednesday. The agenda, posted online, included a presentation by a law firm to provide updated findings from an investigation and audit of the AFN’s financial and management policies.
Afterward, chiefs were asked to vote on a resolution calling for Ms. Archibald to be expelled from the AFN’s board and removed as national chief.
The preamble to the draft resolution says the third-party independent investigator delivered five reports to the AFN’s executive in April which found Ms. Archibald had violated confidentiality requirements and then made social media posts announcing that the reports had vindicated her.
“By stating that she was ‘vindicated,’ the National Chief appears to be minimizing her wrongdoing and failing to take accountability for her actions,” the resolution states.
The draft resolution calls on the AFN’s executive committee to appoint an interim national chief from the committee and call a special election for a permanent replacement in December. Ms. Archibald is to be removed immediately and her pay stopped.
Chief Jeffrey Copenace, from Onigaming First Nation in Northwestern Ontario, was among the 62 chiefs who opposed the move to oust Ms. Archibald. When asked for comment, Chief Copenance forwarded a tape recording of his remarks to the Assembly.
“This is not how the Anishinaabeg conduct business, we don’t try to fire our first ever woman National Chief with just 100 chiefs present. And again, this is just all about gender,” Chief Copenace said.
“You talk about how the National Chief is just being held to such a higher standard than any other former male National Chief, you would never do this to any other male National Chief.”
Asked at a news conference earlier on Wednesday about the possibility of Ms. Archibald’s ouster, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that “one of the colonial principles” governments should do away with is having opinions on how Indigenous people govern themselves.
“Our responsibility is to be there as partners in the path forward, and I can assure you that this government will always be there to work with the Assembly of First Nations and their leadership, regardless of what various positions, or who wins, or who does what within that leadership,” he said at a child-care announcement in Mississauga.
Premiers and national Indigenous leaders are meeting Monday, July 10, in Winnipeg.
With a report from Laura Stone