Amanda Vaughan
Northern News Services
Published Friday, August 31, 2007
YELLOWKNIFE - Barbara Powless-Labelle has been barred from running in the upcoming band council election by the current Yellowknives Dene council and the elders senate.
Candidates
The Yellowknives Dene First Nation Council election is on Sept. 6. The candidates in each community are:
Dettah
Jimmy Beaulieu
Patrick Charlo
Kathleen Dahl
Eileen Liske
Sarah Plotner
Ted Tsetta
N'dilo
Joe Bailey
Cecilia Beaulieu
Bobby Drygeese
Roy Sr. Erasmus
Peter J. Goulet
Philip Liske
Frank Sangris
Shirley Tsetta
Robert Turner
|
Powless-Labelle was ejected from council last November, and had her band membership revoked as well. Since then she has filed a lawsuit against the band.
"There is this perception among the band members that this has been resolved, and it's not true," she told Yellowknifer this week.
Powless-Labelle had decided to run for the council after receiving positive comments from band members.
People were saying to me, 'Run Barb, we want you to run,'" she said.
Powless-Labelle was informed that since she had been previously removed from council, her eligibility to run had to be decided by the current band council. She received a letter from the band's lawyers stating that the Yellowknives Dene chiefs met with the elders senate, and that the senate advised the chiefs to advise returning officer Sue Heron-Herbert that Powless-Labelle was not eligible to run.
The reason for the decision given in the letter is Powless-Labelle's court action against the First Nation, something she had hoped would be settled by now.
"They told me if I took exception to the decision, that I had to meet with the elders," said Powless-Labelle. She said she did not get a reply to a request for a meeting with the elders.
Powless-Labelle is worried that the issues surrounding her ejection from council are still at play. In a 2006 interview following the initial incident, she told Yellowknifer that she believed the council had removed her for asking too many pointed question about the band's finances, particularly the mine impact benefit agreement payments to band members, which are handled by band administration.
"I guess there is still stuff they are trying to protect," said Powless-Labelle.
She is still pressing on with her legal actions.
"This is wearing thin on me, but I am not prepared to give up," she said, adding that she believes that the band members need to know that this sort of thing can be resolved, and the council can be held accountable for their actions. Heron-Herbert declined comment on the issue.
Dettah chief Eddie Sangris couldn't be reached prior to press deadline.
