Sheila North, right, grand chief of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, speaks to media as Derek Nepinak, grand chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, listens in during a press conference in Winnipeg on March 18, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods
OTTAWA – Sheila North, a former grand chief of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, has announced her bid to become the next national chief of the Assembly of First Nations.
North is an advocate for missing and murdered Indigenous women, a former journalist and a member of Bunibonibee Cree Nation.
North says she has the right qualifications, training and people around her to become the next national chief, and she has received an endorsement from Bunibonibee Cree Nation Chief Richard Hart.
The election comes after the dramatic ouster of former national chief RoseAnne Archibald, who was voted out after colleagues accused her of creating a toxic work environment – an allegation she continues to deny.
David Pratt, who currently serves as a vice-chief with the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, was the first to announce his intention to run in the contest scheduled for December.
Manitoba regional chief Cindy Woodhouse, the lead Assembly of First Nations negotiator for a landmark child-welfare settlement passed this week, announced her candidacy earlier this month.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 26, 2023.
