Incumbent Bobby Cameron is congratulated by First Vice Chief David Pratt and by a former Vice Chief, Heather Bear. Photo: Leanne Sanders/APTN
More than 1,000 delegates from 74 First Nations across Saskatchewan voted for the status quo at the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous (FSIN) General Assembly Thursday in Saskatoon. Incumbent Chief, Bobby Cameron, beat former third vice chief Aly Bear to remain at the head of the organization. This is his fourth term as chief.
Part of the message Cameron delivered after securing the win was addressed to the youth around the crisis of drug and alcohol addiction.
“It’s coming to a point where 100 per cent of our First Nations will one day beat that demon of alcohol and drugs. One day,” Cameron said.
“That is what our ancestors wanted, what our people have wanted for decades and decades and decades.”
Cameron did not share whether he had a plan to accomplish this or how the FSIN would be involved.
David Pratt successfully defended his seat as first vice chief and former Red Earth Cree Nation Chief, Fabian Head joins the executive for the first time as third vice chief. Cameron captured 765 votes to Bear’s 258.
Pratt secured a resounding victory with 649 votes to his nearest challenger, Jocelyn Campbell Chaplin’s 125. Fabian Head also captured 507 votes, with the remainder going to a handful of challengers.
None of the winning chiefs talked to media about issues facing organization
It was an election fraught with controversy, not unlike the FSIN itself this year.
None of the successful chiefs spoke to media about a myriad of issues facing the organization including a forensic audit launched against it by Indigenous Services Canada.
Cameron, who served three consecutive terms, was dogged by accusations he should not be eligible to even run in the election due to a prior criminal conviction. Cameron was convicted of break, enter and theft in 1993. He didn’t address this issue in his short speech Thursday.
After balloting, but prior to the vote count, flyers featuring a likeness of Aly Bear were found on vehicles near the convention centre with derogatory statements about the former member of the executive. In his acceptance speech Cameron acknowledged the fractious campaign.
“We denounce any political attacks of any kind. We totally oppose that way. We always wanted to run a clean campaign-a kind campaign,” Cameron told his supporters.
Each candidate, winner or loser, was granted two minutes to speak after the results were revealed. However, the defeated Bear left the convention after the vote count and did not take the opportunity to address the crowd.
The FSIN also faced criticism during the election campaigning that it’s not accountable or transparent enough. One example came after the swearing in-as none of the winning executive members made themselves available to reporters for questions.
Regardless of the outcome, leadership will go forward under something of a cloud. In March, Indigenous Services Canada announced it intended to conduct a forensic audit of FSIN’s finances. The investigation is to cover a five-year span starting in 2019. No timeline has been given for when the audit may be completed.
