A group of about 40 Sturgeon Lake band members says their custom Elections Act was followed when two electoral officers were removed from their positions.
The crowd, which included Elders and band councillors, gathered at Sturgeon Lake’s office complex in Prince Albert on Friday. The group says people are standing up to support their Election Act.
The day before, all band councillors signed a letter confirming the removal of Leslie Badger as chief electoral officer (CEO) and Claudia McCallum as deputy electoral officer (DEO) for failing to comply with the terms of office.
However, Badger and McCallum say they have been complying, and that they had previously acted within their scope when they dissolved council. Based on that, they say they don’t recognize council’s letter, because those councillors don’t have authority at present. The two have said they will proceed with a nomination meeting.
Former Sturgeon Lake appeals tribunal member Jeff McLeod is among those who say their Elections Act is clear about the roles of the CEO and DEO.
“All they have to do is make packages for candidates, then they receive the money, then they set up a nomination day, then they set up voting in Saskatoon, Prince Albert, and Sturgeon. That’s all they have to do; doesn’t not give them the authority to disassemble council,” McLeod said.
McLeod says even if Badger and McCallum continue to act in their previous capacity, they no longer have any authority.
“They have no merit. They have no grounds, because they’ve been removed,” he said. “No one will recognize their authority.”
McLeod acknowledges that there are a few sides in this dispute, and says a lot of what’s happening now is carry-over from 2013 when the elected chief was removed from his position. The tribunal, which McLeod sat on, found the elected chief Henry Felix had defied the Election Act.
“It’s been divided for, the community’s been divided for a long time,” he said.
McLeod says there is a middle ground, though.
“The political side, it looks ugly. And any political thing, whether it’s provincial or federal, it gets a little ugly every now and then. But people have to let go of their past so we can move forward with the future. They’re still holding onto past decisions or appeals processes.”
A special meeting is expected next week, where the band will go ahead and choose two new electoral officers.