Does the Assembly of First Nations have a future?

The Assembly of First Nations will likely remain leaderless until fall when an election is held for a new national chief.

The sudden resignation of Shawn Atleo last week has left the First Nations Education Act in limbo and has many speculating on the future of this 32-year-old organization.

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Arthur Manuela First Nations leader from British Columbia, whose father founded AFN precursor the National Indian Brotherhood said the AFN has drifted too far from the roots as a lobbying and advocacy organization.

"Are they going to continue to work hand in hand and cooperatively with Canadian government? said Manuel.Or are they going to resolve that they're going to fight for the self-determination of indigenous people across this country?"

Hayden King,an assistant professor of politics at Ryerson University and a member of the Beausoleil First Nation in southwestern Ontario, saysthe AFNis "certainly struggling with its identity."

"Its really difficult for this org to to try to represent diversity of interests that exists across the country among First Nations peoples," said King.

"There are communities that are lobbying for treaty rights, communities that dont want treaties urban communities, northerners thepan-Indian First Nation politicsof the AFN arent working anymore."

King was surprised at Atleos resignation, but thinks it signals something deeper than division around the First Nations Education Act.

"[I am]more likely to say this is just a consequence of diversity and the inability of any national chief to represent such a wide array of people," King said.

Division among First Nation leaders on role of AFN

Vicki Monague is a band councillor with the Beausoleil First Nation in southwestern Ontario, and mother of threechildren who attend a school on reserve.

Shes been following the developments on the First Nations Education Act very carefully, and for her it is not just about the content of the proposed bill. It's whether AFN has overstepped its advocacy role.

It appears that AFN has endorsed the act under the leadership of Atleo without actually having a resolution to have that mandate," she said.

"I am concerned that my inherent rights are being negotiatedaway by the AFN, when the charter of the AFN clearlystates that AFN is subordinate to individual First Nations of Canada all 633 of them.

Grand Chief Doug Kelly,a leader with the Sto:lo Tribal Council in British Columbia and the Chair of the First Nations Health Council, doesnt agree with Monague.

Atleo did the job that Atleo was given If people have issues with the current text then its on us as leaders to consider and propose amendments to the legislation," Kelly said.

Monague saidthat the debate around the FNEA has called more grassroots attention to the role of the AFNand has more and more community members wanting a voice in decision making. Currentlyonly First Nations chiefs vote for the national chief. But individual members are demanding to have a say.

Thats something that Kelly said hes not opposed to.

I have, in many assemblies, been one of the only leaders that has stood up and supported the conceptof opening up voting of elections of national chiefs, to our citizens other chiefsin Canadaare not prepared to support that movement.

But Montague is calling for an end to the AFN altogether.

I think that [negotiation] needs to be done on a First Nation to Nation basis. We can not leave it to regional and federal organizations to negotiate on behalf of our communities," she said.

A decision thats made is undone by angry vocal critics, and it causes fear in the exec of AFN, and were are dead in the water-Grand Chief Doug Kelly

Kelly disagrees. We need a national advocacy organization but what we need is a disciplined voice... that the decision means something.

Where we are today with AFN a decision thats made is undone by angry vocal critics, and it causes fear in the exec of AFN, and were are dead in the water.Kelly thinks the next months will be very telling on whether or not AFN will continue.

The AFN will hold a special chiefs assembly in Ottawa at the end of the month to discuss the First Nations Education Act.

I thinkCanadiansand the federal governmentis asking a little bit too much to have one voice speak for all native people.- Hayden King

It remains to be seen how the AFN will emerge from this controversy but regardless, King thinks that First Nations politics are in an era of transformation, and that could mean change for all Canadians.

"I think Canadiansand the federal governmentis asking a little bit too much to have one voice speak for all native people people are going to have to wrap their heads around the fact that native people speak with more than one voice."