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PEHDZEH KI/WRIGLEY - The chief and council of the Pehdzeh Ki First Nation are holding onto power following a vote of non-confidence.

Twenty-three people voted to remove the chief and council as well as the band's senior administrative officer during a public meeting on April 26.

Gaylene Moses, who chaired the meeting, said members who voted feel the chief and council have failed to address a number of concerns. Issues raised during the meeting included general mismanagement, inappropriate spending, excessive travel and failure to keep members informed. The members would like to help make positive changes and plan a budget, she said.

At least one band councillor, Mary Clille, agreed council is not providing band members with enough information.

On Monday morning, despite the vote's outcome, the leadership was still in place.

Paul Nadjiwan, the band's senior administrative officer, said it was his understanding the vote didn't meet the requirements of the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs (INAC). INAC requires that 50 percent of the community plus one pass a vote of non-confidence, Nadjiwan said.

Questions have also been raised about elders' participation in the meeting. Some elders who were sitting outside of the band office at the time of the meeting were counted in the vote although they weren't really there, he said. Other elders who were in the meeting didn't have the discussion translated into Slavey so they didn't fully understand the vote, said Nadjiwan. Council members have since spoken with the elders.

"The elders have indicated they'd like to see the present chief and council finish their term," he said.

INAC continues to recognize the chief and council of the Pehdzeh Ki First Nation but not for the reasons given by the administrative officer, according to information from INAC.

The federal department only accepts motions from membership meetings to remove chiefs and councils if there are provisions in a code ratified by band membership that allow for that occurrence. INAC doesn't set any requirements, like 50 per cent plus one, because all First Nations in the territory hold custom elections.

According to an INAC representative, Wrigley doesn't have a ratified code the federal department is aware of. A chief and council can step down by other means including a band council resolution or by resigning.

Chief Darcy E. Moses said he plans to remain in his position until the next election, which is set for Dec. 9.

"I'm just going to stick in there until my term's up and then they can have at 'er," Darcy said.

The chief said he knows who is trying to remove him and such tactics are nothing new in Wrigley, home to approximately 170 people.

"It's been happening as long as I can remember," he said.

Darcy was elected to office in February 2007. The council was appointed during a byelection in December of that year. At the time of his election Darcy was the fourth person to hold the position of chief in 13 months.

When contacted at her home on April 28, Gaylene Moses was surprised to hear the vote wasn't considered binding and the chief and council hadn't been removed from power. The leadership's refusal to step down illustrates one of the members' main concerns, she said.

"They're not listening to the members," Moses said.

Moses said despite the fact the notices for the public meeting were distributed 10 days in advance to every household, only councillor Mary Clille attended the meeting.

If the chief and council really cared for the membership they would call another meeting to find out why 23 people tried to remove them, Moses said. The efforts may not be over yet.

"We want change. We're not going to stop until that change comes," said Moses.

The members who attended the meeting had valid concerns, said Coun. Clille.

When the last public meeting was held on Nov. 13, 2008, the leadership said they would hold a meeting every month but there hasn't been one since, said Clille.

"The members aren't being informed of anything," she said. "I'm a councillor, too, but I don't even know what they're doing."

Members want a new chief and council because they no longer have confidence in the leadership or administration, Clille said.