Term's up for Liard First Nation chief and council, but no election in sight

Members of Yukon's Liard First Nation should be going to the polls today as their current and council's three-year term officially comes to an end.

But, there are no polls. There are also no candidates, no ballots, and no returning officer — and it's not clear when an election might happen. 

That leaves the First Nation in a kind of leadership grey zone, with some members now suing to forcibly remove the chief and councillors from office and cut off their access to First Nations' funds.

Those citizens — many already frustrated with chief Daniel Morris' leadership — noticed months ago that there were no apparent preparations being made for a December election. They filed suit in the Federal Court of Canada, but that case has not yet been heard.

The federal government also said in October that a representative had been in touch with the chief and council "to stress the importance of an election process getting underway as soon as possible."

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Morris, deputy chief Walter Carlick, and four councillors were elected in Dec. 2013. The First Nation is years behind on audits and was put under third-party financial management.

Chief and council are now being sued by a Whitehorse bank, which alleges they haven't made payments after securing a $200,000 line of credit.

The First Nation members' statement of claim, filed on Oct. 16, cites Morris, Carlick and four councillors as defendants — three of whom have quit during Morris's term and have not been replaced.

The citizens want the Federal Court to bar chief and council from accessing any First Nation money as of today.