Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON - The Liidlii Kue First Nation has been served with a petition asking for the removal of the chief and band council.

The petition, which includes 125 signatures, was submitted to the band office in Fort Simpson on Nov. 4.

A petition for the removal of the Liidlii Kue First Nation chief and council includes 125 signatures on four pages. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

"We're taking it very serious," said Chief Keyna Norwegian.

The letter accompanying the four pages of signatures lists a number of reasons behind the petition. The primary reason is misrepresentation of the band council and band members by the chief.

"Chief Keyna Norwegian should not be making any decisions without the councillors' consent. It has been known that the chief has been making hasty decisions without the membership's knowledge, which we feel is not being fair to the Dene people," the letter states.

Norwegian said the accusation is untrue.

"I don't have the authority to make decisions on my own," she said.

The direction for decisions has to come from the band council, said Norwegian.

Although the petition's letter doesn't refer to any exact cases, Norwegian suggested that the memorandum of understanding the band signed with Canadian Zinc in October and the opening of the Fort of the Forks might be two big events that have caused concern.

In both cases, the decision for the band's actions came from the council, said Norwegian. Norwegian also points to the band's mission statement, which says the organization should be self-sufficient, as a reason for the actions.

"The band is struggling right now," she said.

The organization is looking at ways to generate revenue so it doesn't have to rely on other funding sources such as the government, said Norwegian.

Despite the reasons given in the petition's letter, Norwegian said she thinks the real root of the movement is a personal issue that's gotten out of hand.

As a result of funding shortages the band recently had to lay off two long-term employees. A third employee was let go from Nogha Enterprises Ltd. for other reasons.

Norwegian said the family members of some of the former staff blame her for the job losses and started the petition as a result.

"I believe it's a personal vendetta against me," she said.

There's also some confusion surrounding the petition, said Norwegian.

Some people who signed the petition have been coming to the band office to say that they didn't understand what they were signing, said Norwegian.

"People have been removing their names," she said.

Norwegian said she wants to personally visit all the people who signed the document to talk about their reasons and to make sure they understand the petition.

The next scheduled election for chief and council of the Liidlii Kue First Nation (LKFN) is June 2009. Norwegian said she hopes to resolve some of the issues surrounding the petition in the remaining six months of her term.

"I'm not going to quit or resign because of the petition but I will definitely take it seriously," she said.

The petition has nothing to do with the families of the individuals who were laid off, said Sarah Tsetso, who helped gather names for the document.

"We want her out because she's not making the right choices for the people," Tsetso said.

Norwegian has been making decisions without the councillors' consent and has disagreed with the majority of the councillors on some issues, said Tsetso.

"We the people feel we are not being represented fairly," said Tsetso.

"We feel she has to step down."

Tsetso said the petition has been in the works since early August but was delayed a few times out of respect for funerals and weddings in the community.

When contacted by the Deh Cho Drum, Tina Visser, who also assisted with the petition, said a number of the people who organized the petition didn't want to go to the media too early. Visser said the group is declining to comment at this time.

The petition itself isn't enough to remove the leadership immediately, said Dennis Nelner, the senior band manager for LKFN.

The band's election code states that a quorum of 25 per cent of residing voting members with 60 per cent in favour is needed at a general or special membership meeting to remove chief and council. It also has to be proven that the leadership has violated the band's code of conduct, he said.

Chief and council can also act to remove themselves if the full council is present, said Nelner.

The petition was on the agenda for the Nov. 12 council meeting. Chief and council were expected to discuss it formally at that point, said Nelner. Band members will also have a chance to voice their concerns during a membership meeting scheduled for Dec. 3, Nelner said.

"Then membership can decide weighing both sides of the argument," he said.