Yellowknife (June 30/03) - Three candidates are in the running to be national chief of the Dene Nation.

The election is July 4. Results will be announced at the Dene National Assembly in Aklavik.

The candidates are Richard Edjericon of Yellowknife, Charlie Furlong of Aklavik, and Noeline Villebrun of Fort Resolution.

Villebrun, 47, has been politically active for about 25 years in a number of areas.

"I would be honoured to represent the Dene people at the national level," she says. "I would do a good job and put my heart into it."

Among the issues she would promote as Dene Nation leader are education, health, land claims and treaty rights.

"I think we need someone who is more vocal on the issues and someone to take a stand," she says.

However, Villebrun believes the leader should not act as the boss, but as a spokesperson for the aspirations of the Dene people and be able to take direction from chiefs.

She would also like to see more unity for the Dene Nation. "I think we need to work together."

Villebrun says she is aware of the issues of concern to Dene people. "Being a woman, a grandmother and a mother, I've seen a lot of the issues at the grassroots level, especially women's issues."

Currently, Villebrun is vice-president of the Native Women's Association of the NWT from which she has taken a leave to run for the Dene Nation leadership. She is also a member of Women's Voice and Leadership, a committee of the Status of Women Council of the NWT to support women in assuming leadership roles.

Aklavik chief Charles Furlong entered the Dene national chief election race with only seconds to spare.

Three Dene nominators got the necessary signatures -- two chiefs and three members -- an hour before the nominations closed.

But although it looked like an afterthought, the three members say he is the one to speak for the Dene people.

"We need a leader who is capable dealing with hard issues," said Ernie Lennie, one of the three Dene members who nominated Furlong.

"He's someone who can speak for the Dene people ... I think he has a very good chance at getting in. He's very well liked."

Lennie, a Rae-Edzo resident, said he's glad the Dene people will have a chance to choose their leader.

"Now there's three people running it's going to be an interesting race."

Nora Doig, another member of the trio responsible for Furlong's nomination, said as a Dene Nation employee she's seen a lot of meetings and has had the opportunity to see Furlong in action.

"Charlie is a very good person. He always has the time to listen to you and rarely do you find those qualities in a chief."

Both Doig and Lennie admit Furlong was a bit reluctant to take on the role at first because he didn't want to take his energies away from his own community.

But Furlong decided he could do a lot of good in the role, said Lennie.

Furlong himself was unavailable for comment by press time, Friday.

Edjericon was unavailable to offer any insight into his campaign, despite several attempts to reach him.