Terry Halifax
Northern News Services

Inuvik (Sep 13/02) - The election for chief and council at the Nihtat Gwich'in Council has been postponed following the resignation of the electoral officer.

Chief James Firth said confusion over the fragmented membership and election bylaws caused the electoral officer to quit just 30 minutes from the close of nominations.

"There was some concerns over the one organization concept and some people not being allowed to run for chief and at that time it was taken off the floor," Firth said.

Within the band, there are members who are not beneficiaries and beneficiaries that are non-status Indians.

Firth said the officer had trouble discerning who could be nominated and who couldn't.

"It gets confusing here, because there are Metis here," Firth said.

"Some of the Metis are beneficiaries, some of the Metis are treaty -- through Bill C-31 -- and some of the treaty are status only, but not part of our land claim."

"If you look at the bylaws, a lot of things were not followed," Firth said.

"Anybody that doesn't understand our claim would find it very confusing.'

Chief electoral officer Shirley Kisoun said she had no problem understanding the bylaws.

"I did not indicate in any way, shape or form that I didn't understand the bylaws, that's just his perception," Kisoun said.

She said she resigned the position after she received more than 30 harassing phone calls from band council members regarding nominations.

"It was more interference and pettiness than anything," Kisoun said. "They were band council members ... they wouldn't give me their names, but I know who they are."

"They were just trying to get it out of me," she said.

"Who was nominated and who nominated them, is this person on the list, how come this person was nominated, when they aren't on the list..."

"When you're returning officer and you're accepting nominations, it's nobody's business but yours."

Sub Chief Barry Greenland is considering resigning over the situation and says this is the second election where they've had to deal with interference.

"In the previous election before this, we had the chief returning officer and the deputy returning officer quit two days before the election was to take place," Greenland said. "It was because of interference again."

"Nobody knows the truth. It's just what the chief says and it goes."

Greenland has worked as sub chief for nine years and says it's time for some changes.

"James (Firth) should learn to tell the truth and I will not be painted with the same brush he is," Greenland said. "It's time the band office is turned over to the band membership."

At an impromptu meeting last Wednesday, Firth said the nominations would be destroyed and an election would be called at a later date.

"We will decide within the next two or three weeks where we're going to go," he said.