The recent debacle involving RoseAnne Archibald as national chief of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) should lead to some serious soul searching among First Nations about the future and purpose of an organization that claims to represent all First Nations in the country..For those who have not been following the news on this, the AFN voted on June 28 to remove the national chief after a third-party investigation found she violated the organization’s harassment and conduct policies..On July 10, Joanna Bernard of Madawaska First Nation in New Brunswick was appointed as interim national chief until a special chiefs' assembly is held in December..This comes after Archibald was the subject of an inquiry involving the creation of a toxic workplace under her leadership. However, many felt the allegations only came after Archibald had called for an audit into the organization’s finances and practices..Archibald had alleged — with some reason — that the workplace allegations were only raised in response to her desire to examine the AFN’s practices more closely..Allegations had been raised during her administration that corrupt practices were going on. In fact, allegations of financial improprieties were raised during the administration of prior AFN national chief Perry Bellegarde..So, in Archibald’s defence, it is not beyond the pale that problems were occurring before she assumed the position. In fact, Archibald had been looking into this prior to becoming national chief..As we speak, the forensic audit Archibald was calling for into the organization has not happened. The matter raised eyebrows at Indigenous Services Canada in 2022, leading to the department to call for a financial review of the organization..So, it is possible two things could be true at the same time..One, there are serious financial and governance irregularities within the AFN as Archibald alleged..And two, Archibald did engage in unprofessional conduct involving her staff..Also, it is entirely probable the workplace allegations — while credible — were a direct form of reprisal for Archibald digging into the practices of the AFN..Another dimension to the saga were allegations of outside political agendas at work. Many chiefs said that the workplace allegations against Archibald were instigated by old Bellegarde loyalists and Liberal partisans..A central problem was the vote to oust Archibald was taken before any type of audit could be completed and it was not done in person. Many chiefs were not even physically present for the non confidence vote..Some felt the whole process seemed rushed and lacked the thoroughness one would expect for such a drastic move, while others stated the workplace issues had dragged on for some and it was time for some needed closure as the scandal threatened to engulf the entire organization..The AFN must adhere to its own processes, but it seems quite justified Archibald should be able to call for a review of her treatment to make sure procedural fairness was followed..In the end, the debacle reveals the AFN is indeed an institution in distress. In all honesty, if the underlying issues can’t be resolved the AFN will continue to be discredited and might as well fold..Seriously..Some question the need for a unified national voice for indigenous communities given all the diverse regional and other interests at play in the indigenous world..There already exist a myriad of regional indigenous groups with an alphabet soup of acronyms. Most of them are taxpayer funded and First Nations and taxpayers question the value of these investments..If indigenous people want a national lobby group such as the AFN, it must be reformed at its core..The first order of business is the AFN must complete its audit into the organization’s finance and governance. That should have been done before Archibald was ousted. If there is rot at the AFN perhaps Archibald’s workplace issues are just a symptom of that..One lasting fix is to make the AFN completely sustained by the First Nation communities that comprise it..That way, these communities would have a direct stake in the AFN cleaning up its act and representing indigenous interests..Now, the AFN reflects one of the worst aspects of First Nation band governance. When the money comes from other sources (the AFN being taxpayer funded,) there is an accountability mismatch..Being dependent on taxpayer money creates incentives to wantonly spend other people’s money and ignore the real priorities of the First Nations at home. This is why many band governments tend towards nepotism and mismanagement and ignore grassroots Indigenous concerns..For First Nations, the AFN becoming self-reliant would fix the problem where some allege the AFN gets too cushy or compromised by its relationship with Ottawa..Given that this federal government is so ethically challenged, is it any wonder they perhaps are learning all the worst examples of professional conduct?.The debacle involving Archibald only revealed the institutional problems at the AFN. Before the organization meets in December, they ought to let this audit proceed and open up the discussion to ask fundamental questions about the AFN’s purpose and future.
