The Democratic Process Through First Nations Lens

"[The government recognizes community or custom election codes that] provide the rules under which chiefs and councillors are chosen for those First Nations who are not under the Indian Act election rules."
"[It] is never involved in the election processes held under community or custom election codes, nor will it interpret, decide on the validity of the process."
Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, Canada

Nor dare the government to interfere, since First Nations demand autonomy, demand recognition as a "nation", demand that government stay strictly out of aboriginal social, political or business affairs and permit them to do as they will in honour of customary and heritage procedures. The Assembly of First Nations chiefs would be down Ottawa's throat for interference faster than snow melting in a furnace.

"AANDC (Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada) has no role in the selection of community leadership, or how governance disputes are resolved", is the response to any who are affronted, incredulous, or disentitled as a result of the imposition of rules on the fly and the sly that have the purpose of disenfranchising some, while entitling others, not in the spirit of democratic action, but nefarious politicking for advantage.

And so it was that Garden Hill First Nation in Manitoba representing a community of plus-5,000 members, part of the Island Lake reserve, arranged matters so that the election of a new Chief and Council on April 3 turned out precisely as planned. The election took place under the influence of a hastily-imposed 'law' that, in effect, violates the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. But this is, after all, a First Nations community.

 Island Lake Reserve -- Wikimedia commons

In early March, a mere month before the vote was to take place, a new law was approved that effectively disentitles certain population demographics from the erroneous belief that they might wish to pursue vying for office in their community. The new law restricts certain elements identified by age group from standing for election.

A requirement was hastily devised that any candidates interested in running for chief, must be 50 years of age or over, and councillors must have reached 40 years of age. Moreover, candidates must not be involved in a common-law relationship as that relationship would render them ineligible. The new laws of the band made it so.

Canada sends out impartial observers across the world to ensure that elections taking place in emerging democracies, or countries where previous elections have been held to be illegally staged, to ensure that any such election be given a clean bill of health, the results held to be legitimate and therefore honoured; a tradition among democratic countries of the world.

But within the country itself, the government dare not interfere in the processes, however damning to the democratic electoral process, that First Nations deem required to result in a meaningful, and acceptable electoral procedure. Protecting the interests of incumbents, of those with significant influence, of those entering into a questionable pact to subvert the democratic process.

Canada, and Canadian taxpayers, living in a presumably egalitarian and just society that demands everyone be judged under its universally-applied (almost) laws have a vested interest in a transparent and just election outcome. Although the Government of Canada and Canadians dole out impressive sums of financing for First Nations communities they are aware at all times that their responsibility ends there.

Over $30-million in taxpayer funds will be transferred to the new chief and council. That is the sum total of involvement of the government, that is the only involvement that the AFN will tolerate, insisting as it does that it must be master of its own house. Its house is paid for by an outside source, but that source has no justification whatever, as far as the AFN and regional chiefs are concerned, of interfering with native 'culture'.

Garden Hill First Nation Community (part of Island Lake reserve)  -- Wikimedia common

So the youth of Garden Hill First Nation community, who represent 80% of its members, are locked out of directly involved political representation. While the crafty, self-serving elders who so often neglect the needs of all the members of a community, are given free shrift to order democratic practises to be negated to favour their personal plans that will not necessarily favour their communities.