AFN Regional Chief suspended pending investigation into gender discrimination allegations

The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) has suspendedRegional Chief Morley Googoo with paypending the results of an investigation into allegations that Googooengaged in gender-based discriminationagainst women he worked with.

The decision to suspend Googoo, regional chief for Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, was made Wednesday atan AFN executivemeeting in Vancouver.

"Details of the meeting are confidential and AFN will provide no further comment until the investigation is complete and a decision is made by the AFN Executive,"an AFN spokesperson said in an emailedstatement.

The spokesperson said the investigation will "movequickly and diligently," but would not speculate on how long it wouldtake.

The AFNinvestigation comes afterCBC News reported about a priorinvestigation, commissioned by a federal, provincial and First Nations government organization called the Tripartite Forum. Itfound in September 2018 that Googoo discriminated against Cheryl Maloney,a former leader of the Nova Scotia Native Women's Association (NSNWA), and the NSNWAby attempting toremove them from the forum.

The investigator also found that Googoo's conduct toward Maloney amounted to "bullying and harassment."

"I'm very disappointed," Googoo said in a phoneinterview.

"I still haven't had theopportunity to meet face to face anddeal with my allegations to the [AFN]. The [AFN] has been making these decisions without my input whatsoever from Day 1."

Googoo said he's been given no information on theAFNinvestigation, but saidhe will be participating to ensure he's given a fairchance to respond and that he's afforded "due process."

In July, the AFNgave Googoo20 days to provide a written response to the harassment allegations.

"It was kind of difficult to give a general response when I really actually didn't know the context of what was being discussed at that meeting," Googoo said.

He said he'd learned of theproposal to suspend him through news reportsand in his written responsehe requested a phone call with assembly executives to discuss how to resolve the issue.

Googoo said he also provided the AFNwith information related to Maloney's allegations and the Tripartite Forum investigation, which he maintains was incomplete and meant to harm his reputation.

'Everyone knew about it years ago'

Cheryl Maloney called the AFN's decision to investigate "very disrespectful," because a third-party investigator had already made conclusions about Googoo's conduct toward her and other Mi'kmaw women.

"I don't know what they'regoing to get," Maloney saidof the AFN's investigation.

"They're not going to get the same level of investigative power that [the] initial report had found. The investigator was able to go and talk to all the women in the forum within their employment and they felt safe."

She said she was frustrated that she wasn't informed the AFN was examining the situation until the organization requested her copy of the investigation's summary report.She said that whileshe's aware there was a 30-page full report producedon the investigation, it was never given to her.

She also said it's been frustrating that no action has been taken against Googoobythe Tripartite Forum orthe AFN since the initial investigation's conclusion.

"It should have been addressed when it was first raised," Maloney said.

"Everyone knew about it years ago. [Googoo] is not a good role model for Mi'kmaw children, youth and women, especially now, in atime of missing murdered Indigenous women and girls [and] the calls for justice."

Focus ofAFNinvestigation still unclear

A spokesperson from the Nova Scotia department of Aboriginal Affairs, which was a participant in the forum and commissioned the first investigation, told CBC News in an emailed statement that the provincereceived the full confidential reportand considered Maloney's complaints seriously. The spokesperson said the department had not been contacted by the AFN.

A spokesperson for the federal department of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs said the department would not comment as the matter involves a human rights complaint.

CBCNews sent questions regarding the forum's investigation results to the Tripartite Forum Secretariatbut has not received a reply.

Googoosaid that because he resigned from the Tripartite Forum before the report was completed, he wasn't given its findings. Hesaid that he hassent written requests to the forum for the findingsand the investigator's interview records.

"I just want this process to be fairly done," he said.

A statement provided to mediaby Googoo's communications consultant said hehasn't yetreached a point where he's considered resigning from the AFN.

"I'm still trying to just address the first complaint and move forward from there ...you know thesekind of processes are very challenging to deal with, no matter [how]many years experience you have as a public figure," he said.

Pleaded guilty to assaults

Googoo was first elected as chief of his community, We'koqma'q First Nation in Nova Scotia, in 1992 and served until 2003.

According tocourt records, in June1996 Googoowas charged with assaulting a woman near Millbrook First Nation, N.S.He pleaded guiltyand received a suspended sentence.Hewas given oneyear of probationand was required to completean anger management program.

Googoo was re-elected as chief ofWe'koqma'qin 2006. In 2007, court records show that he pleaded guilty to uttering threats againsthis ex-wifeand assaulting her in her home. He was granted a conditional discharge andgiven 15 months of community service and probation.

In 2011, Googoo was elected as AFN Regional Chief for Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador.

In 2017, he was charged with assault and causing a disturbance at a hotel near Sydney, N.S. The charges were withdrawn in 2018, after Googoowent through the restorative justice system.

"That's my history," Googoosaid, in regards to his court record.

"I think my present and my future actionsin my initiatives[are]important. I have taken a lot of courage to own anything that I've done wrong in the past and dealt with it accordingly. In this process, if I was gender-biased and discriminatory, I would own it. I don't believe I am."