Good News!!

Shawn Atleo 3 votes shy of re-election as AFN chief

"Atleo earned 318 votes on the second ballot out of 535 cast Wednesday in Toronto. He was far ahead of his closest competitor — Pamela Palmater, who got 107 votes."

The best part, though, is not that it looks like he's gonna win. No, the best part is who has already dropped out:

"Following the announcement of the results, Terrance Nelson, former chief of the Roseau River Anishinabe First Nation in Manitoba, withdrew from the ballot and pledged his support to Palmater. He received 25 votes in the second round."

So the loudmouth boor throws his inconsiderable support behind another loudmouth, who, even with the perhaps 25 voters who may now be going her way, is still way far behind the front runner.

And there's something to this:

""What's likely happening here is regional picks, which are very big in the AFN," CBC's Cam MacIntosh said. "The thing about the way this works is Shawn Atleo is from B.C., and B.C. has more reserves — and as a result more votes in this contest — than any other region in Canada."

Atleo's supporters had expressed confidence of having enough backing to earn victory on the second round of balloting. They came close, but a coalescing "anyone but Atleo" movement might have stymied them. MacIntosh said there is strong anti-Atleo sentiment from many of the AFN's Prairie chiefs."

I have to wonder what would happen if the rank and file on-reserve membership were allowed to vote. Prairie chiefs have been flogging an inflated, made up line about the so called numbered treaties for decades now, and it has netted the grass roots very little else but plenty of scandal, nepotism and graft. And at any given time, half the Aboriginal population on the prairies lives in cities anyway.

There's a very interesting comment attached to this story, to:

"Atleo will win hands down.
Was there ever any doubt?
But a word of caution...less money for the "leaders"...and more for the people.
These leaders need to understand that the people they represent are not very happy with what those who represent them have done so far.
They have a lot...and many have nothing.
Anyone who thinks otherwise has not spent enough time talking to the elders and those not so privilaged (sic) down on the rez.
Far too much of a gap between those at the top and the everyday people barely getting by.
No...they do not all have pick-up trucks,quads and fancy houses!
No more conventions in expensive resorts!"

Yup!! This is the flipside of all that confrontation, anger and phony bravado we've been treated to for the past 30+ years.

And then there's this one:

"One of the questions posed to all candidates yesterday dealt with the problems the First Nation peoples encounter with lawyers. Reference was made to one Band that was charged $73 million relating to a land claim. That is $73 million tax dollars.

Canadian taxpayers who are so concerned about misuse of our tax dollars in relation to First Nations would do well to follow the money trail - it isn't just some Chiefs that abuse the system and it is often lawyers who are filling their pockets as fast as they can.

For every First Nation child in care in a foster home, there is a file in a lawyer's office. Only the willfully naieve (sic) would believe that the time billed on those files accurately reflects the service provided."

So I'm not the only one who has noticed there's an industry and, although nothing seems to change at the reserve level, there are lots of folks, both Indian and non-Indian who are lining their pockets, using Indian misery to fatten their wallets. It is in their interests to keep it that way.

One final point. The story at the link at the top come from the CBC. If you read through the comments, it's amazing (well, no, it's not that amazing) how many comments they have deleted. I suppose those comments weren't politically correct enough.