Post by blackcrowheart on Feb 14, 2008 14:46:57 GMT -5
Outspoken chief rejects council call to resign
Last Updated: Thursday, June 7, 2007 | 7:41 AM CT
CBC News
A Manitoba First Nations chief whose controversial comments made national
headlines is refusing to step down, even though a band watchdog group has
voted to remove him and his councillors from office.
Speaking to news organizations last month, Chief Terry Nelson of the Roseau
River First Nation said: "There's only one way to deal with a white man.
You either pick up a gun or you stand between him and his money."
Nelson has also threatened to block railway lines running through his
community on June 29 — a national day of action to draw attention to
aboriginal poverty and unresolved land claims.
Late last month, the Custom Council of the Roseau River First Nation
served a notice of non-confidence in Nelson and his council and ordered a
new election for the positions.
"Chief and council were given notice that their last day in office would be
June 1," said Martha Laroque, the vice-chair of the council. "We don't have
a chief and council in Roseau."
Council member Felix Antoine, a former chief and a political rival of
Nelson's, said the comments were the final straw for the group.
"He's humiliating us, embarrassing us. We don't want to be portrayed as
terrorists. We have to put a stop to this," he said.
Nelson says he supports the Custom Council's right to recall democratically
elected officials, but says this particular council hasn't followed proper
procedures for appointing members. A decision made in a secret meeting,
possibly without quorum, can't be valid, he said.
Nelson says in contrast, he and his council were re-elected in March for
their third straight term, an indication of the support they have in the
community.
He also speculated there could be external pressure to get rid of him
before June 29.
"I've made quite a bit of enemies in the way I approach things, national
day of protest and other things," he said. "Any other opposition in
community, no matter how illegitimate it may be, it will be heard."
It's unclear exactly how much authority the Custom Council has, but in the
past, the federal court has accepted the results of elections called by
this group.
A spokesperson for the Department of Indian Affairs said the department
would continue to recognize Nelson as chief until the community elects a
new chief and council according to its election code.
Native protesters have held several high-profile rail blockades in recent
years. Among the most recent, Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte in southeastern
Ontario blocked CN lines for 30 hours in late April, disrupting passenger
and freight trains in the busy Toronto-Montreal corridor.
Last Updated: Thursday, June 7, 2007 | 7:41 AM CT
CBC News
A Manitoba First Nations chief whose controversial comments made national
headlines is refusing to step down, even though a band watchdog group has
voted to remove him and his councillors from office.
Speaking to news organizations last month, Chief Terry Nelson of the Roseau
River First Nation said: "There's only one way to deal with a white man.
You either pick up a gun or you stand between him and his money."
Nelson has also threatened to block railway lines running through his
community on June 29 — a national day of action to draw attention to
aboriginal poverty and unresolved land claims.
Late last month, the Custom Council of the Roseau River First Nation
served a notice of non-confidence in Nelson and his council and ordered a
new election for the positions.
"Chief and council were given notice that their last day in office would be
June 1," said Martha Laroque, the vice-chair of the council. "We don't have
a chief and council in Roseau."
Council member Felix Antoine, a former chief and a political rival of
Nelson's, said the comments were the final straw for the group.
"He's humiliating us, embarrassing us. We don't want to be portrayed as
terrorists. We have to put a stop to this," he said.
Nelson says he supports the Custom Council's right to recall democratically
elected officials, but says this particular council hasn't followed proper
procedures for appointing members. A decision made in a secret meeting,
possibly without quorum, can't be valid, he said.
Nelson says in contrast, he and his council were re-elected in March for
their third straight term, an indication of the support they have in the
community.
He also speculated there could be external pressure to get rid of him
before June 29.
"I've made quite a bit of enemies in the way I approach things, national
day of protest and other things," he said. "Any other opposition in
community, no matter how illegitimate it may be, it will be heard."
It's unclear exactly how much authority the Custom Council has, but in the
past, the federal court has accepted the results of elections called by
this group.
A spokesperson for the Department of Indian Affairs said the department
would continue to recognize Nelson as chief until the community elects a
new chief and council according to its election code.
Native protesters have held several high-profile rail blockades in recent
years. Among the most recent, Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte in southeastern
Ontario blocked CN lines for 30 hours in late April, disrupting passenger
and freight trains in the busy Toronto-Montreal corridor.