After Shawn Atleo: Where does the AFN go from here?
The sudden resignation of Shawn Atleo last week exposed serious problems for the Assembly of First Nations. The bill he was working on, the federal First Nations Act, has gone into limbo, and many believe the AFN is unravelling. What is the future of the AFN?...
The sudden resignation of Shawn Atleo last week exposed serious problems for the Assembly of First Nations. The bill he was working on, the federal First Nations Act, has gone into limbo, and many believe the AFN is unravelling. What is the future of the AFN?
The Assembly of First Nations will likely remain leaderless until fall when an election is held for a new National Chief. Many aboriginal leaders believe Atleo had grown too close to the federal government with his support for the now-defunct First Nations Control of First Nations Education Act.
Arthur Manuel is a First Nations leader from British Columbia. His father founded the National Indian Brotherhood, the precursor to the AFN. Mr. Manuel says the AFN has drifted too far from those roots.
What direction is the AFN going to go? Are they going to continue to work hand in hand and cooperatively with Canadian government? Or are they going to resolve that they're going to fight for the self-determination of indigenous people across this country?First Nations leader, Arthur Manuel
Today we asked about the relevance, and future, of the AFN. We spoke to:
- Hayden King is an assistant professor of politics at Ryerson University. He was in our Toronto studio.
- Vicki Monague is a band councillor with the Beausoleil First Nation in Southwestern Ontario.
- Grand Chief Doug Kelly is a leader of the Sto:lo Tribal Council in British Columbia, and the Chair of the First Nations Health Council.
This segment was produced by The Current's Gord Westmacott, Lara O'Brien, and Network Producer Suzanne Dufresne.