Liard First Nation Chief Stephen Charlie. Photo: Facebook
Members of the Liard First Nation say they’ve lost confidence in Chief Stephen Charlie.
APTN News obtained an Oct. 21 letter written by members of the council which is located in Watson Lake, Yukon.
The Oct. 21 letter, written by five LFN councillors, is addressed to Chief Charlie and two other LFN councillors.
“We write to formally express our loss in confidence in the leadership of Chief Charlie,” it states.
“As elected council and representatives of the people in our community and Nation, it is our duty to ensure that the values, interests, and well-being of our Nation are upheld. Over time, it has become clear that Chief Charlie’s leadership is no longer aligned with these priorities.”
The letter calls for a council of the whole meeting on Oct. 29 to discuss a motion to hold a special general assembly on Nov. 28. The letter states it will request to hold an early election in March 2025.
LFN’s next election is scheduled for June 2026.
Deputy Chief Harlan Schilling said he has had concerns with Charlie’s leadership for years and could “no longer stay silent.”
“We have been left out,” he said.
A second letter released Oct. 23 signed by several band members in support of the councillors’ letter criticizes Charlie for eliminating LFN’s language director’s position.
That letter states the position, which is held by Martina Volfova, will be dissolved at the end of her contract in May 2025.
The letter states Volfova “has worked tirelessly to secure funding and implement programs at promoting, preserving and revitalizing (our Kaska language)” and her dismissal “poses a serious threat to the progress made in safeguarding our language.”
The letter notes its signatories are “troubled by the lack of transparency” and that they feel Volfova’s dismissal was made without proper “communication or consultation.”
Volfova declined to publicly comment on the matter.
Chief denies accusations
Chief Stephen Charlie told APTN News he isn’t shocked by the accusations as they have been “kicking around for some time.”
“I’m not concerned about these allegations one bit,” he said. “Where’s the documentation to back up these allegations? There’s none.”
Charlie was first elected as chief in 2020.
Shortly after, former LFN George Morgan filed a petition in Yukon’s Supreme Court accusing Charlie of election fraud. The petition was later dismissed.
Charlie was re-elected in 2023.
He said those making accusations against him have clashed with his leadership style.
“I will not change my way of leadership for no one. I will always defend the people. And I didn’t get re-elected for being a big bully,” he said. They wouldn’t put me in office two consecutive terms if I was doing things that I shouldn’t be doing.”
Charlie believes the accusations partly stem from the fact LFN is reviewing its constitution, something he said will impact the Daylu Dena Council, a sub-council of LFN. He said that has been met with “pushback.”
“You can look at my record, and there’s no mismanagement. There’s just individuals that are not happy with the direction that the Nation’s heading in.”
As for Volfova, Charlie said it was an administrative decision to not extend Volfova’s contract – something he stands behind. He said it will now be up to the Elders to advise on next steps for the program.
He further noted the other councillors don’t have the authority to hold an early election, making their letter and its requests “null and void.”
“I will not resign…I will not relinquish the authority of the chief of Liard First Nation to anyone, and I will always fight for the people” he said.
Jennifer Cooper, a spokesperson with Indigenous Service Canada (ISC), said Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) are aware of “ongoing governance challenges within LFN.”
She said the department has no role in such issues but is available to provide support for the community to seek its own resolution, if requested by the parties.
Cooper noted LFN’s leadership is determined through a custom electoral system rather than by the election rules contained in the Indian Act.
She said a governance dispute can be resolved through processes in LFN’s election selection process, or through the courts.
“Indigenous Services Canada will continue to monitor the situation to ensure that the delivery of essential programs and services to band members is not impacted,” she said.
Corrections:
-This story originally said members of the Daylu Dena Council put the letter forward. To clarify, it was members of Liard First Nation who put the letter forward, which includes the Daylu Dena Council.
-The original story referenced two youth councilors. The councillors are in fact regular councillors.
-The orignal story said it was an Elder’s decision to renew Volfova’s contract. This was not correct.
