Assembly of First Nations leadership conventions
Encyclopedia
Assembly of First Nations (National Indian Brotherhood before 1982) leadership elections are held every three years to elect the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations
. Each chief of a First Nation in Canada
is eligible to cast a vote. Currently there are 633 eligible voters.
AFN rules state that a candidate needs 60% of the votes to win the election. If multiple candidates are on the ballot, the candidate with the fewest number of votes on each ballot is dropped until one candidate has reached the required percentage of votes. Additionally, any candidate who receives less than 15 per cent of the vote on a ballot is automatically dropped.
If only two candidates remain, however, the candidate with fewer votes is not dropped from the ballot automatically, but rather the race continues to another ballot until the leading candidate reaches 60 per cent or the trailing candidate voluntarily concedes. Notably, for example, the race in 2009 went through six successive ballots on which the two remaining candidates, Shawn Atleo
and Perry Bellegarde, were effectively deadlocked, with roughly 50 per cent of the vote each, before Atleo finally pulled ahead to win on the eighth ballot.
, Yukon
on September 16, 1976.
Winner: Noel Starblanket
(acclaimed)
For this election the two candidates with the fewest votes on the first ballot were dropped. This applied to Linklater and Powderface. Riley then announced he would withdraw.
, British Columbia
on July 12, 2006.
, Alberta
on July 22.
At the close of nominations on June 16, the declared candidates were AFN's British Columbia regional chief Shawn Atleo
, Roseau River First Nation chief Terry Nelson, Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations
chief Perry Bellegarde, British Columbia land claims negotiator Bill Wilson and former Union of Ontario Indians
chief John Beaucage.
Beginning with the second ballot, the convention went into an unprecedented deadlock, with six successive ballots in which the final two candidates effectively tied at roughly 50 per cent of the vote. Under AFN rules, a candidate requires 60 per cent of the vote to win unless their opponent voluntarily concedes the race. Bellegarde conceded after the eighth ballot, on which Atleo had surged ahead to a 58 per cent finish.
Nelson and Wilson were automatically dropped after the first ballot, as both failed to garner 15 per cent of the vote. Both candidates endorsed Bellegarde on the second ballot. Beaucage, as the last-place finisher among the three remaining candidates, voluntarily dropped out shortly after the ballot results were announced, also endorsing Bellegarde.
Assembly of First Nations
The Assembly of First Nations , formerly known as the National Indian Brotherhood, is a body of First Nations leaders in Canada...
. Each chief of a First Nation in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
is eligible to cast a vote. Currently there are 633 eligible voters.
AFN rules state that a candidate needs 60% of the votes to win the election. If multiple candidates are on the ballot, the candidate with the fewest number of votes on each ballot is dropped until one candidate has reached the required percentage of votes. Additionally, any candidate who receives less than 15 per cent of the vote on a ballot is automatically dropped.
If only two candidates remain, however, the candidate with fewer votes is not dropped from the ballot automatically, but rather the race continues to another ballot until the leading candidate reaches 60 per cent or the trailing candidate voluntarily concedes. Notably, for example, the race in 2009 went through six successive ballots on which the two remaining candidates, Shawn Atleo
Shawn Atleo
Shawn A-in-chut Atleo is a Canadian First Nations activist and the current national chief of the Assembly of First Nations. Formerly the AFN's regional chief in British Columbia, he was selected as the new national chief of the AFN at its leadership convention on July 23, 2009, defeating Perry...
and Perry Bellegarde, were effectively deadlocked, with roughly 50 per cent of the vote each, before Atleo finally pulled ahead to win on the eighth ballot.
1976
Held in WhitehorseWhitehorse, Yukon
Whitehorse is Yukon's capital and largest city . It was incorporated in 1950 and is located at kilometre 1476 on the Alaska Highway in southern Yukon. Whitehorse's downtown and Riverdale areas occupy both shores of the Yukon River, which originates in British Columbia and meets the Bering Sea in...
, Yukon
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
on September 16, 1976.
Winner: Noel Starblanket
Noel Starblanket
Noel Starblanket is a First Nations leader in Canada. For two terms from 1976 to 1980 he was chief of the National Indian Brotherhood ....
(acclaimed)
First ballot
| Candidate | Delegate Support | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| David Ahenakew David Ahenakew David Ahenakew was a Canadian First Nations politician, and former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations.Ahenakew was born at the Sandy Lake Indian Reserve in Saskatchewan... |
190 | 55.72 |
| Delbert Riley Delbert Riley Delbert Riley is a Canadian First Nations leader of Chippewa background. He was chief of the National Indian Brotherhood from 1980 to 1982.... |
67 | 19.65 |
| Arthur Manuel | 48 | 14.08 |
| Sykes Powderface | 26 | 7.62 |
| Clive Linklater | 10 | 2.93 |
| Total | 341 | 100% |
For this election the two candidates with the fewest votes on the first ballot were dropped. This applied to Linklater and Powderface. Riley then announced he would withdraw.
Second ballot
| Candidate | Delegate Support | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| David Ahenakew David Ahenakew David Ahenakew was a Canadian First Nations politician, and former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations.Ahenakew was born at the Sandy Lake Indian Reserve in Saskatchewan... |
259 | 83.82 |
| Arthur Manuel | 50 | 16.18 |
| Total | 309 | 100% |
First ballot
| Candidate | Delegate Support | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Georges Erasmus Georges Erasmus Georges Henry Erasmus, OC is a Canadian Aboriginal politician. He was the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations from 1985 to 1991.... |
||
| David Ahenakew David Ahenakew David Ahenakew was a Canadian First Nations politician, and former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations.Ahenakew was born at the Sandy Lake Indian Reserve in Saskatchewan... |
||
| Simon Lucas | 69 | |
| Graydon Nicholas Graydon Nicholas Graydon Nicholas ONB is the 30th and current Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick. An attorney and judge, he is the first Aboriginal person to hold this office, as well as the first to be appointed as a provincial court judge , and the first in Atlantic Canada to obtain a law degree.-Early life... |
44 | |
| Ernie Daniels | 10 | |
| Total | 100% | |
Second ballot
| Candidate | Delegate Support | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Georges Erasmus Georges Erasmus Georges Henry Erasmus, OC is a Canadian Aboriginal politician. He was the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations from 1985 to 1991.... |
274 | 54.26 |
| David Ahenakew David Ahenakew David Ahenakew was a Canadian First Nations politician, and former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations.Ahenakew was born at the Sandy Lake Indian Reserve in Saskatchewan... |
231 | 45.74 |
| Total | 505 | 100% |
First ballot
| Candidate | Delegate Support | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Ovide Mercredi Ovide Mercredi Ovide William Mercredi, OM is an Aboriginal Canadian politician. He is Cree and a former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations.... |
||
| Bill Wilson | ||
| Phil Fontaine Phil Fontaine Larry Phillip Fontaine, OM is an Aboriginal Canadian leader. He completed his third and final term as National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations in 2009.... |
164 | |
| Neil Sterritt | 13 | |
| Mike Mitchell | ||
| Total | 100% | |
First ballot
| Candidate | Delegate Support | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Ovide Mercredi Ovide Mercredi Ovide William Mercredi, OM is an Aboriginal Canadian politician. He is Cree and a former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations.... |
||
| Wallace McKay | ||
| Mike Mitchell | ||
| Delia Opekokew Delia Opekokew Delia Opekokew is a Canadian lawyer. A Cree from the Canoe Lake First Nation in Saskatchewan, she was the first First Nations lawyer ever admitted to the bar association in Ontario and in Saskatchewan, as well as the first woman ever to run for the leadership of the Assembly of First... |
||
| Konrad Sioui Konrad Sioui Konrad Sioui is the current Grand Chef of Wendake, a native reserve near Quebec City, Canada. He succeeded Max Gros-Louis in 2008.Sioui is a hereditary chief of the Bear Clan of the Huron-Wendat Nation.... |
||
| Total | 100% | |
Third ballot
| Candidate | Delegate Support | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Ovide Mercredi Ovide Mercredi Ovide William Mercredi, OM is an Aboriginal Canadian politician. He is Cree and a former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations.... |
||
| Wallace McKay | ||
| Total | 100% | |
First ballot
| Candidate | Delegate Support | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Ovide Mercredi Ovide Mercredi Ovide William Mercredi, OM is an Aboriginal Canadian politician. He is Cree and a former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations.... |
127 | |
| Phil Fontaine Phil Fontaine Larry Phillip Fontaine, OM is an Aboriginal Canadian leader. He completed his third and final term as National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations in 2009.... |
126 | |
| Wendy Grant-John Wendy Grant-John Wendy Grant-John, née Wendy Sparrow, is a prominent First Nations leader in British Columbia. She served three terms as chief of the Musqueam First Nation and was the first woman elected regional vice-chief of the Assembly of First Nations. In 1997 Grant-John came in second to Phil Fontaine in the... |
123 | |
| Joe Dion | ||
| Larry Sault | ||
| Bob Manuel | ||
| Total | 100% | |
Second ballot
| Candidate | Delegate Support | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Phil Fontaine Phil Fontaine Larry Phillip Fontaine, OM is an Aboriginal Canadian leader. He completed his third and final term as National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations in 2009.... |
||
| Wendy Grant-John Wendy Grant-John Wendy Grant-John, née Wendy Sparrow, is a prominent First Nations leader in British Columbia. She served three terms as chief of the Musqueam First Nation and was the first woman elected regional vice-chief of the Assembly of First Nations. In 1997 Grant-John came in second to Phil Fontaine in the... |
||
| Ovide Mercredi Ovide Mercredi Ovide William Mercredi, OM is an Aboriginal Canadian politician. He is Cree and a former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations.... |
||
| Joe Dion | ||
| Larry Sault | ||
| Total | 100% | |
Third ballot
| Candidate | Delegate Support | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Phil Fontaine Phil Fontaine Larry Phillip Fontaine, OM is an Aboriginal Canadian leader. He completed his third and final term as National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations in 2009.... |
||
| Wendy Grant-John Wendy Grant-John Wendy Grant-John, née Wendy Sparrow, is a prominent First Nations leader in British Columbia. She served three terms as chief of the Musqueam First Nation and was the first woman elected regional vice-chief of the Assembly of First Nations. In 1997 Grant-John came in second to Phil Fontaine in the... |
||
| Ovide Mercredi Ovide Mercredi Ovide William Mercredi, OM is an Aboriginal Canadian politician. He is Cree and a former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations.... |
||
| Total | 100% | |
Fourth ballot
| Candidate | Delegate Support | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Phil Fontaine Phil Fontaine Larry Phillip Fontaine, OM is an Aboriginal Canadian leader. He completed his third and final term as National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations in 2009.... |
||
| Wendy Grant-John Wendy Grant-John Wendy Grant-John, née Wendy Sparrow, is a prominent First Nations leader in British Columbia. She served three terms as chief of the Musqueam First Nation and was the first woman elected regional vice-chief of the Assembly of First Nations. In 1997 Grant-John came in second to Phil Fontaine in the... |
||
| Total | 100% | |
First ballot
| Candidate | Delegate Support | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Matthew Coon Come Matthew Coon Come Matthew Coon Come is a Canadian politician and activist of Cree descent. He was National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations from 2000 to 2003.Born near Mistissini, Quebec, Coon Come was first educated in a residential school... |
244 | |
| Phil Fontaine Phil Fontaine Larry Phillip Fontaine, OM is an Aboriginal Canadian leader. He completed his third and final term as National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations in 2009.... |
202 | |
| Lawrence Martin Lawrence Martin (musician) Lawrence Martin is a Canadian musician and politician. He has used the name Wapistan in his musical work.... |
26 | |
| Marilyn Buffalo | 13 | |
| Total | 485 | 100% |
Second ballot
| Candidate | Delegate Support | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Matthew Coon Come Matthew Coon Come Matthew Coon Come is a Canadian politician and activist of Cree descent. He was National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations from 2000 to 2003.Born near Mistissini, Quebec, Coon Come was first educated in a residential school... |
287 | |
| Phil Fontaine Phil Fontaine Larry Phillip Fontaine, OM is an Aboriginal Canadian leader. He completed his third and final term as National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations in 2009.... |
207 | |
| Total | 494 | 100% |
First ballot
| Candidate | Delegate Support | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Phil Fontaine Phil Fontaine Larry Phillip Fontaine, OM is an Aboriginal Canadian leader. He completed his third and final term as National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations in 2009.... |
292 | 51.59 |
| Roberta Jamieson Roberta Jamieson Roberta L. Jamieson, C.M. is a Canadian lawyer and First Nations activist. She was the first Aboriginal woman ever to earn a law degree in Canada, the first non-Parliamentarian to be appointed an ex officio member of a House of Commons committee, and the first woman appointed as Ontario... |
167 | 29.50 |
| Matthew Coon Come Matthew Coon Come Matthew Coon Come is a Canadian politician and activist of Cree descent. He was National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations from 2000 to 2003.Born near Mistissini, Quebec, Coon Come was first educated in a residential school... |
105 | 18.55 |
| Rejected ballots | 2 | 0.35 |
| Total | 566 | 100% |
Second ballot
| Candidate | Delegate Support | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Phil Fontaine Phil Fontaine Larry Phillip Fontaine, OM is an Aboriginal Canadian leader. He completed his third and final term as National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations in 2009.... |
338 | 60.90 |
| Roberta Jamieson Roberta Jamieson Roberta L. Jamieson, C.M. is a Canadian lawyer and First Nations activist. She was the first Aboriginal woman ever to earn a law degree in Canada, the first non-Parliamentarian to be appointed an ex officio member of a House of Commons committee, and the first woman appointed as Ontario... |
217 | 39.09 |
| Total | 555 | 100% |
2006
Held in VancouverVancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
on July 12, 2006.
| Candidate | Delegate Support | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Phil Fontaine Phil Fontaine Larry Phillip Fontaine, OM is an Aboriginal Canadian leader. He completed his third and final term as National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations in 2009.... |
373 | 63.22 |
| Bill Wilson | 117 | 19.83 |
| Total | 590 | 100% |
2009
The 2009 convention was held in CalgaryCalgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
on July 22.
At the close of nominations on June 16, the declared candidates were AFN's British Columbia regional chief Shawn Atleo
Shawn Atleo
Shawn A-in-chut Atleo is a Canadian First Nations activist and the current national chief of the Assembly of First Nations. Formerly the AFN's regional chief in British Columbia, he was selected as the new national chief of the AFN at its leadership convention on July 23, 2009, defeating Perry...
, Roseau River First Nation chief Terry Nelson, Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations
Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations
The Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations is a Saskatchewan-based First Nations organization.The federation grew out of a number of different organizations. Although the Federation of Saskatchewan Indians was organized in 1959 , it grew out of the Union of Saskatchewan Indians, founded...
chief Perry Bellegarde, British Columbia land claims negotiator Bill Wilson and former Union of Ontario Indians
Union of Ontario Indians
The Union of Ontario Indians is an Aboriginal political organization representing 42 member First Nations in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was formed in 1919 and incorporated in 1949, to serve as a political advocate and secretariat for the Anishinabek Nation...
chief John Beaucage.
Beginning with the second ballot, the convention went into an unprecedented deadlock, with six successive ballots in which the final two candidates effectively tied at roughly 50 per cent of the vote. Under AFN rules, a candidate requires 60 per cent of the vote to win unless their opponent voluntarily concedes the race. Bellegarde conceded after the eighth ballot, on which Atleo had surged ahead to a 58 per cent finish.
First ballot
| Candidate | Delegate Support | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Shawn Atleo Shawn Atleo Shawn A-in-chut Atleo is a Canadian First Nations activist and the current national chief of the Assembly of First Nations. Formerly the AFN's regional chief in British Columbia, he was selected as the new national chief of the AFN at its leadership convention on July 23, 2009, defeating Perry... |
238 | 43.11 |
| Perry Bellegarde | 162 | 29.35 |
| John Beaucage | 84 | 15.21 |
| Terry Nelson | 57 | 10.32 |
| Bill Wilson | 11 | 1.99 |
| Total | 552 | 100% |
Nelson and Wilson were automatically dropped after the first ballot, as both failed to garner 15 per cent of the vote. Both candidates endorsed Bellegarde on the second ballot. Beaucage, as the last-place finisher among the three remaining candidates, voluntarily dropped out shortly after the ballot results were announced, also endorsing Bellegarde.
Second ballot
| Candidate | Delegate Support | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Shawn Atleo Shawn Atleo Shawn A-in-chut Atleo is a Canadian First Nations activist and the current national chief of the Assembly of First Nations. Formerly the AFN's regional chief in British Columbia, he was selected as the new national chief of the AFN at its leadership convention on July 23, 2009, defeating Perry... |
276 | 50.36 |
| Perry Bellegarde | 272 | 49.64 |
| Total | 548 | 100% |
Third ballot
| Candidate | Delegate Support | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Shawn Atleo Shawn Atleo Shawn A-in-chut Atleo is a Canadian First Nations activist and the current national chief of the Assembly of First Nations. Formerly the AFN's regional chief in British Columbia, he was selected as the new national chief of the AFN at its leadership convention on July 23, 2009, defeating Perry... |
266 | 50.09 |
| Perry Bellegarde | 265 | 49.90 |
| Total | 531 | 100% |
Fourth ballot
| Candidate | Delegate Support | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Perry Bellegarde | 267 | 50.19 |
| Shawn Atleo Shawn Atleo Shawn A-in-chut Atleo is a Canadian First Nations activist and the current national chief of the Assembly of First Nations. Formerly the AFN's regional chief in British Columbia, he was selected as the new national chief of the AFN at its leadership convention on July 23, 2009, defeating Perry... |
264 | 49.62 |
| Rejected ballots | 1 | 0.19 |
| Total | 532 | 100% |
Fifth ballot
| Candidate | Delegate Support | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Perry Bellegarde | 254 | 49.9 |
| Shawn Atleo Shawn Atleo Shawn A-in-chut Atleo is a Canadian First Nations activist and the current national chief of the Assembly of First Nations. Formerly the AFN's regional chief in British Columbia, he was selected as the new national chief of the AFN at its leadership convention on July 23, 2009, defeating Perry... |
254 | 49.9 |
| Rejected ballots | 1 | 0.2 |
| Total | 509 | 100% |
Sixth ballot
| Candidate | Delegate Support | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Shawn Atleo Shawn Atleo Shawn A-in-chut Atleo is a Canadian First Nations activist and the current national chief of the Assembly of First Nations. Formerly the AFN's regional chief in British Columbia, he was selected as the new national chief of the AFN at its leadership convention on July 23, 2009, defeating Perry... |
256 | 51.4 |
| Perry Bellegarde | 242 | 48.6 |
| Total | 498 | 100% |
Seventh ballot
| Candidate | Delegate Support | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Shawn Atleo Shawn Atleo Shawn A-in-chut Atleo is a Canadian First Nations activist and the current national chief of the Assembly of First Nations. Formerly the AFN's regional chief in British Columbia, he was selected as the new national chief of the AFN at its leadership convention on July 23, 2009, defeating Perry... |
259 | 53.5 |
| Perry Bellegarde | 225 | 46.5 |
| Total | 484 | 100% |
Eighth ballot
| Candidate | Delegate Support | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Shawn Atleo Shawn Atleo Shawn A-in-chut Atleo is a Canadian First Nations activist and the current national chief of the Assembly of First Nations. Formerly the AFN's regional chief in British Columbia, he was selected as the new national chief of the AFN at its leadership convention on July 23, 2009, defeating Perry... |
265 | 58.11 |
| Perry Bellegarde | 189 | 41.45 |
| Rejected ballots | 2 | 0.44 |
| Total | 456 | 100% |