Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
An emergency resolution before the Assembly of First Nations annual meeting to reaffirm the suspension of National Chief RoseAnne Archibald has failed in Vancouver.
Archibald took the stage following Tuesday's vote and expressed her gratitude for the decision to end what she called an unjust suspension.
"I am 100 per cent committed to meeting with the regional chiefs. I need my phone back. I need my emails back. I need to be reinstated fully," she said.
The resolution said Archibald disclosed confidential information about the complaints against her by the organization's staff, compromising the integrity of the assembly's complaint process.
The vote needed the support of 60 per cent of eligible delegates for approval, but the resolution was defeated, with the tally to come later.
Tk'emlups te Secwepemc Chief Rosanne Casimir moved the motion saying there are rules for leaders and the situation has become a national embarrassment.
Thousands of delegates gathered for the annual Assembly of First Nations meeting in Vancouver to talk about the Pope's visit, Indigenous rights, housing and other priorities, but those issues were upstaged by Archibald's claims of corruption and infighting over her leadership.
Dressed in Indigenous regalia, Archibald strode in at the start of the gathering ahead of a group of chanting supporters.
Just the day before, Archibald said she had been "erased" from the agenda after her suspension by the executive committee June 17 while an investigation was underway into four complaints against her by her staff.
Instead, Archibald led opening ceremonies, welcomed attendees and spoke to delegates.
"I am your representative. I am your servant. I only exist because all of you put me in this position, so an attack on me is an attack on you," she said before delegates voted. "It is your authority to determine what happens to the national chief. You elected me, not the regional chiefs. You determine what discipline I face."
Archibald alleges she was suspended for trying to investigate corruption within the assembly and called for a forensic audit of the organization for the last eight years.
She said it comes after "decades" of calls for reform within the organization.
"When you support me, you will be fighting against corruption," Archibald said.
The Assembly of First Nations executive released a statement Tuesday urging delegates not to allow the human resource complaints involving Archibald to "overshadow the real and ongoing work that is required on behalf of the First Nations people."
"The committee further calls on the national chief to immediately cease any actions and statements that amount to serious breaches of the confidentiality and privacy interests of AFN employees, service providers and others, including making broad allegations of misconduct," the statement said.
The executive believes the actions are damaging, unlawful and inappropriate, the statement said.
Archibald has said her suspension was a violation of the assembly's charter and a means to intimidate, punish and silence her over her claims of the possible misuse of public funds by the assembly.
"Obviously, I'm calling on our friends for an audit and an independent investigation into the AFN and I'm asking chiefs and grassroots people to talk to their chiefs to ensure that a forensic audit happens as well as an independent investigation into the corruption and toxicity at AFN," she said before she entered the assembly Tuesday.
Prior to the vote, Paul Prosper, the AFN regional chief for Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, asked chiefs and their proxies in attendance to validate the executive's decision to allow for Archibald's temporary suspension to continue until the investigation concludes.
"There have been calls for a forensic audit and my colleagues are not opposed to a forensic audit. We welcome it if you welcome it," he said. "No organization is perfect. We all face our own unique challenges and yes, as an organization we can improve that we must improve."
Archibald said in her address that she wants audits in two areas: staff payouts and contracts.
"Millions of dollars have been paid in staff payouts," she said. "That's what the forensic audit will show you. You will see how money that is meant for you and your communities has been going into somebody else's pocket."
Two other emergency resolutions will be brought to the assembly floor for vote on Wednesday.
The first, brought by Chief Wendy Jocko of Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation, is calling for the independent third-party forensic financial audit of the AFN.
The other resolution, brought by Kinonjeoshtegon First Nation Chief Rod Travers, calls for Archibald to be removed from office, claiming she breached confidentiality by speaking with media, prompting delegates to lose confidence in her leadership.
It calls for the executive committee to appoint an interim leader, with an election for a new national chief to be called within six months.
A draft resolution before the assembly asking that Archibald be removed from the office and a new election be held because she didn't receive the required 60 per cent of votes cast when she was elected last year was removed from the list of resolutions.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 5, 2022.
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Molly Knight, a Grade 4 student in Nova Scotia, noticed her school library did not have many books on female athletes, so she started her own book drive in hopes of changing that.
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.