The majority of First Nations chiefs in Canada voted against suspending the Assembly of First Nations National Chief RoseAnn Archibald.
A resolution at AFN’s annual general meeting on Tuesday proposed her suspension with continued pay pending the results of a human resources investigation into employee complaints against her.
Over 60 percent of bosses and advocates rejected it.
Some speakers pointed to the lack of evidence against Archibald, support for her calls for a forensic audit and a desire for unity so First Nations can prioritize other, more pressing issues affecting their communities.
“I want to thank everyone for all of your comments and for removing this illegal suspension that happened,” Archibald said in response to the results.
“I welcome comments about burying the hatchet, I welcome comments about forgiveness.”
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The national leader said she was “100 percent” committed to meeting the AFN executive committee to work out their differences, but first she would have to get her phone back and regain access to her email.
0:41 Assembly of First Nations rejects resolution calling for removal of Chief Archibald Assembly of First Nations rejects resolution calling for removal of Chief Archibald
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Earlier this month, AFN’s executive committee and national board of directors suspended Archibald as it launched an investigation into workplace harassment complaints against her by four employees.
It was a day after Archibald publicly called for a forensic audit and an independent investigation into alleged corruption in the assembly, alleging the four officials demanded more than $1 million in payouts that she refused to provide.
According to a July 4 memo given to AFN’s executive committee, Archibald was made aware of the complaints against her before she went public with what the memo described as “confidential” information and “baseless” allegations.
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Archibald’s lawyers and the executive’s lawyers are at loggerheads over whether her removal is legal and within the executive’s authority, given that she was chosen by hundreds of chiefs across Canada.
2:21 AFN members end suspension of national boss AFN members end suspension of national boss
Chiefs and commissioners were given an extended lunch hour and an extra break Tuesday to consider three decisions: Archibald’s continued suspension while a human resources investigation is conducted; her removal by vote of no confidence; and her full reinstatement as national boss with the initiation of a forensic audit and an independent investigation into workplace toxicity.
They will vote on the final two resolutions on Wednesday morning.
Read more: AFN AGM begins amid controversy over removal of national boss
Earlier in the day, AFN Nova Scotia and Newfoundland regional head Paul Prosper endorsed Archibald’s continued suspension, condemning her public comments both before and after her suspension.
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However, he expressed “tremendous love and respect” for Archibald and said the executive committee would support a forensic audit if it was welcomed by bosses.
“No organization is perfect, not one,” he said. “We all face our own unique challenges and yes, as an organization we can and must improve.
“But I ask you, what would you do in light of this situation? What would you do if you sat down, as many of you do as a board member, faced with these challenges in your family?”
1:58 Assembly of First Nations annual general meeting begins amid turmoil Assembly of First Nations annual general meeting begins amid turmoil
Speaking after Prosper, AFN New Brunswick regional manager Joanna Bernard also expressed concern about Archibald’s public disclosures, including a list of contractors AFN worked with and the value of their contracts.
“The business of these people here is threatened, they are accused of corruption,” she said.
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“We have taken this seriously as an organization … if the AFN wants to continue as a useful organization, the national boss is making it impossible.”
Bernard said Archibald’s actions also impeded the fair workplace investigation process set in motion as a result of the complaints against her.
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Read more: Assembly of First Nations chief says removal ‘illegal’, seeks court order
Archibald called on the chiefs of the general assembly to support her in creating a revived AFN and a new companion finance corporation based not on colonial law but on the Seven Sacred Teachings of First Nations people.
In official remarks before the removal vote, she said the AFN executive committee had “usurped” the power of chiefs across the country by removing her and trying to influence decision-making on the matter. Corruption at AFN is “one of the most widely known secrets in Indian country”, she claimed, asking superiors to support her in her “positive vision for the future”.
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Her comments were greeted with cheers and boos from the crowd.
6:46 Archibald calls for forensic audit, urges AFN to withdraw suspension Archibald calls for forensic audit, urges AFN to withdraw suspension
Speaking against the suspension, Yaqan Nukiy representative Cheryl Casimir of the Ktunaxa Nation in British Columbia said the resolution suggests Archibald is guilty and must be proven innocent, not the other way around.
“I think mistakes have been made on both sides in this situation,” she told delegates. “There needs to be ownership and acknowledgment of those mistakes, and there needs to be apologies for those mistakes to heal.”
Doug Kelly, a representative of the Kwaw-kwaw-Apilt First Nation in British Columbia, urged chiefs across the country to look inward as they vote.
“We spend a lot of time talking about truth and reconciliation, but we always point the finger at the federal government or the churches and the provincial government,” he said. “We are now in a time where we have to look at some hard truths and we have to come to terms with it.”
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Tk’emlúps te Secwe̓pemc Kúkpi Rosanne Casimir said she condones the continued suspension with a “big, very heavy heart,” but a confidential human resources investigation that protects employees is critical and all leaders must follow a specific set of rules.
“It’s embarrassing for me across the country and to see this on the news,” she said. “When I look at the importance of truth and reconciliation, it has no place for that in the media.”
Chief Ira McArthur of the Pheasant Rump Nakota First Nation in Saskatchewan supported the motion after Casimir, saying the assembly should not air its “dirty laundry” in the media.
“I know from best practices from all of our First Nations that we always have a separation of policy from administration and we have staff to manage those issues,” he explained. “We have a lot of work to do with the government and we need to be able to focus on those issues.”
AFN is still verifying the final count of votes for and against Archibald’s removal.
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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