Paul Bickford
Northern News Services

Fort Smith (Nov 11/02) - For the second time in two months, Victor Marie has won a vote to be chief of Salt River First Nation in Fort Smith.

However, the council elected with him on Aug. 30 has not been so lucky.

At a membership meeting Nov. 3, a bitter power struggle among the SRFN leadership came to a head.

The membership confirmed Marie as chief, but dismissed the council and replaced it with a new one.

"It's the people that spoke. They're the boss," says Marie.

In a vote by show of hands, 86 favoured Marie staying, while 66 opposed.

However, Raymond Beaver, who had been named interim chief following a council revolt against Marie in October, is crying foul over the results.

Beaver says Marie and some of his supporters used unfair tactics, accusing them of, among other things, bribery, defamation of character and misuse of band funds.

Beaver says Marie and his supporters spread false information to discredit the council that existed prior to the August elections, in particular accusing it of misusing band funds.

The former interim chief is also concerned that band money was used to bus in at least 26 Marie supporters from Edmonton.

"That's bribery, and this is all from band funds," he says, estimating it cost thousands of dollars.

"This is something I've never ever seen before in my life here in Fort Smith, this kind of corruption," Beaver adds.

Marie flatly rejects Beaver's complaints. He says the financial help for visiting out-of-town members was a decision made by the membership. "It was the meeting that did all of that, not me as chief."

And he notes supporters of the council had also come to Fort Smith for the meeting.

Marie also stands by his allegations that the previous council had misused funds. He has already asked the RCMP to investigate.

Beaver says the vote by show of hands was a form of intimidation, but Marie says that was decided by the membership and is not an uncommon practice, even by his opponents.

"This time they lost," he says.

Beaver and several other band members have sent a list of concerns to the RCMP and to the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, which is being asked to shut down the band and set up fair elections.

"This is not over by a long shot," says Beaver. "This is something we're not going to let go."

The new council consists of Don Tourangeau, Harvey Lepine, Michelle Bjornson, Connie Benwell, Nora Beaver, Dave Gowan and Norman Starr, the only former councillor to survive the purge.

Starr had abstained from a council vote in October to dismiss Marie as chief.

In a new move for the band, Gowan of Yellowknife and Nora Beaver of Edmonton were elected to represent the many SRFN members living in those two cities.

Along with Raymond Beaver, the dismissed councillors include Sonny MacDonald, Melvin Wandering Spirit, Delphine Beaulieu and Toni Heron.