Gwichya Gwich'in chief says he didn't make decision to acclaim
Band members cry foul after election process ran with unratified code, eligibility of other nominee for chief questioned by incumbent
Paul Bickford
Northern News Services
Monday, July 27, 2015
TSIIGEHTCHIC/ARCTIC RED RIVER
Chief Phillip Blake of the Gwichya Gwich'in Band in Tsiigehtchic is comfortable with the electoral process that saw him acclaimed to the position on June 12.
Phillip Blake, Chief of the Gwichya Gwich'in Band in Tsiigehtchic says he played no part in the election committee's decision to acclaim him after other nominee was found ineligible. |
Blake said the decision on acclamation was not his, but was made by an election committee.
"I'm going with what the election committee went with and it's fine with me," he said.
Some are calling for a new election for chief, partly because the election process run with an unratified election code.
Earlier this month, members sent a letter to the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs and the federal Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, asking them to intervene.
Both departments have told News/North they have no plans to step in.
However, Blake said a referendum committee recommended to council in April that the unratified code be followed because of the high level of support in the band - about 70 per cent of membership - it was receiving in an ongoing referendum.
"So council decided to use an unratified election code," he said.
"I feel comfortable doing that."
Blake said the code had rules and an election committee could abide by them.
Previously, the Gwichya Gwich'in Band (GGB) had no election code.
Blake, who was the incumbent chief, and three band councillors were acclaimed three days before an election was to be held.
The chief automatically becomes mayor of Tsiigehtchic Charter Community.
A June 15 election continued for two community representatives for the charter community council. Band members also voted in the ongoing election code ratification process, and a quorum was reached.
Acclamation under an unratified code is not the only controversial aspect of the band election.
Grace Blake, a former GGB chief, submitted her name as a candidate for chief and was accepted by an election committee, even though her name was not on the band's membership list.
Chief Blake appealed that decision in a letter to then chief election officer Graeme Drew, a Vancouver consultant helping develop and ratify the election code.
Because of the chief's appeal, Drew and the election committee didn't feel comfortable applying the draft code and recommended the June 15 election be postponed to August to allow time for ratification.
"We thought, respectfully, the best thing would be to defer the remainder of the election, and to reschedule it after the ratification of the code so we would be working with true laws that were supported by all the membership and not draft laws," he said.
In early June, Drew resigned as chief election officer and the election committee also resigned.
However, he said the plan at that time was that there would be no election and the committee members would focus on the ratification process.
A new chief election officer and election committee were appointed by council, and Grace Blake was ruled ineligible.
"There is no dispute for myself," Chief Blake said of the election process that saw him be the only candidate for chief, adding the only issue was the possibility of a non-member of GGB being elected.
Chief Blake also said decisions on any candidate's eligibility were made by the election committee.
Drew said the initial acceptance of Grace Blake as a candidate was consistent with the then unratified election code.
"I still feel that we had a very strong case for taking the position we did," he said.
"I still believe it's the correct position in the best interests of all."
