Incoming Qalipu Mi'kmaq band chief Brendan Mitchell promising change

Brendan Mitchell says he'll be re-evaluating priorities and processes in the Qalipu Mi'kmaq First Nations Band after being elected as its new chief Friday.

• New Qalipu Mi'kmaq chief elected

"People in this election appeared to be looking for change," Mitchell told The Corner Brook Morning Show.

"People are looking for more with respect to community involvement. People are looking for someone to help them more with the culture, and teachings and language."

Mitchell said it's time for the band council to be visible and vocal on issues, such as the potential for fracking on the west coast of the island.

"Our organization has been very silent on that. We haven't been standing with our people in these areas, and they've been asking for our help, and we continued, for two years now, to sit on the fence on that issue," said Mitchell, who is personally anti-fracking.

Incumbent out

Mitchell, with 2,760 votes, won the election handily over the incumbent — and founding — band chief Brendan Sheppard who received 1,730 votes.

"Quite frankly, I'm not totally disappointed with the outcome of the election. The members have spoken," said Sheppard.

Sheppard said he has no regrets about his time in office, but that one issue dogged him in the election.

"I think that obviously the enrolment process played a role into this, with the uncertainty surrounding the huge number of applicants that's there," said Sheppard.

The enrolment process began in 2008, and has met with numerous controversies and delays, with the deadline for a review of 94,000 applications to join the band set for June 30, 2016.

Enrolment: tough and turbulent

Dealing with the enrolment process will be a big challenge for Mitchell.

"It's a tough file, let's be honest. It's a turbulent file," he said, adding he'll need to get up to speed on technical points of the issue once he is sworn in as chief, but he's committed to representing the applicants' needs.

"We have to be able to stand behind aboriginal people, period," said Mitchell.

"If they're of aboriginal background, they should be given an opportunity to become members of this band. And as an organization, and as a leadership group in an organization, we have to stand by our people wherever we can and in whatever way we can."

Sheppard said the incoming Liberal government may signal the ability to alter the terms of the enrolment process, which some Liberal MPs have been critical of in the past.

"I think the opportunity for change right now should probably be there," said Sheppard.

Mitchell will be sworn in as chief following a 30-day appeal period.