Assembly of First Nations National Chief RoseAnn Archibald speaks at the AFN Annual General Meeting in Vancouver on July 5. DARRYL DYKE/The Canadian Press
RoseAnne Archibald presented her case to the Assembly of First Nations’ annual general meeting Tuesday morning, after weeks of political uncertainty following the removal of a national chief last month.
Ms Archibald faces competing efforts in the assembly to remove her from her role or support her continued leadership.
During her remarks, Ms Archibald argued that her suspension was unlawful. She doubled down on her allegations of corruption in the AFN, calling them “the most widely known secret in Indian country.” She also laid out a sweeping vision for a “new AFN” in which AFN staff would be transferred to a new corporation that she said would be based on First Nations culture and values.
“I’m asking you to stand with me in this positive vision for the future,” Ms. Archibald told a room of hundreds of First Nations leaders and observers gathered at the Vancouver Convention Center, as well as virtually.
The court rejected a bid by AFN national chief RoseAnne Archibald to lift the suspension
There is a wide difference of opinion on the removal of the national boss. While Ms Archibald accused the AFN executive committee of overreaching in its decisions, executive committee members defended their actions and expressed concern about possible legal liabilities raised by the affair.
It was recently revealed that four AFN staff had accused Ms Archibald of abuse and harassment, prompting an external investigation. She had previously been the subject of several informal complaints of harassment and abuse by employees while in her role as Ontario regional chief.
Ahead of the meeting, it was unclear whether the national boss would be allowed to attend as Ms Archibald was initially barred from the executive committee. In the end, the AFN settled on a format that allowed 30 minutes of speaking time for the national boss as well as the executive committee, which was represented by Nova Scotia/Newfoundland regional boss Paul Prosper and New Brunswick regional boss Joanna Bernard.
Mr Prosper said the decision to remove the National Chief was not easy and was based on “very long days and very long nights”.
He urged the assembly to take a “middle way” – in the form of a resolution recommended by the executive committee and pushed by Rosanne Casimir, Kúkpi7 (chief) of Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc. The resolution calls for the national chief to be suspended with pay pending an investigation into the complaints.
However, that resolution failed in a vote on Tuesday afternoon, a decision that received applause from the floor.
Two other urgent draft resolutions are also being tabled regarding Ms Archibald’s leadership: one calling for an end to the “unwarranted” suspension and her request for a forensic audit of AFN to be granted, while the other calls for the national boss to be removed immediately and appointed interim manager.
The two resolutions will be voted on on Wednesday.
AFN’s executive committee and board of directors suspended Archibald last month pending the outcome of an investigation into four complaints against her. DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
Mr Prosper also said he and his colleagues were not opposed to a judicial audit and would “welcome” it if bosses wanted one.
In her remarks, Ms Barnard said the executive committee was trying to conduct a fair investigation into the workplace, which the national boss’s actions had made “almost impossible”. She also said that on July 1, Ms Archibald made suggestions that a “long list of AFN contractors” over the years were involved in some sort of corruption.
“None of these matters have ever been referred to the executive committee or the workplace investigator, instead the National Boss continues to send them out in emails and speeches and on Twitter,” she said. “And now some of these contractors on that list are writing and telling AFN that they may have claims for exemption [that] list.’
Ms. Archibald did not hold back in her categorization of the AFN and its executive committee, calling the current structure of the AFN a “threat” to the sovereignty, jurisdiction and survival of First Nations communities.
“How many of your regional managers shared full disclosure with you? All the facts. I don’t think there are many,” she said.
Ms Archibald said her suspension was a result of her telling the truth about corruption at AFN and for submitting information about “dubious contracts”.
The day began when a group of several dozen people gathered outside the conference center to support the national leader before she led a procession into the main convention hall.
Among the speakers who came to the microphone in the morning, Doug Kelly spoke of the need to avoid adding to the “burden of healing” for those at the current meeting, which runs through Thursday.
“Our organization is in trouble. We have to fix it, but we have to fix it with love and kindness and respect,” he said.
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