There will be a new chief for a national aboriginal organization come Friday, and chances are good the chief will be from Saskatchewan.
The Congress of Aboriginal Peoples (CAP) is holding an election to replace Chief Betty Anne Lavallée, who is stepping down. The CAP represents the interests of aboriginal people living off reserve in Canada. Two Saskatchewan residents are in the running for the job.
One of them is Chigal Daniels, the daughter of the late Harry Daniels. He is the man behind a long-running court case on Metis rights.
The other Saskatchewan contender is Kim Beaudin, the president of the Aboriginal Affairs Coalition of Saskatchewan, a position he has held for seven years.
The only other candidate is Dwight Dory from Nova Scotia.
Beaudin describes himself as outspoken, while others have called him a troublemaker. He was at the centre of a push to oust Lavallée before she announced she was resigning because of family reasons. He says he has no problem speaking his mind.
“That’s right, I am outspoken and as national chief that’s the kind of leadership they will be getting,” he said. “I’m not interested in what could you say would be toeing the party line. “
Beaudin says there will be some major issues to deal with over the next year including working with a new federal government. He also says Canada’s aboriginal people, including status and non-status – should be working more closely together. He would like to see a better relationship with the Assembly of First Nations (AFN).
“I believe we are dealing with the same kind of struggles and we should really be working together. I know that the AFN is going to be part of the court case with Daniels,” he said.
The Daniels case is all about the rights of Metis and Non-Status Indians. The Supreme Court is expected to hear the case sometime next year. In 2014, the federal court of appeal granted Metis and Non-Status Indians the same rights as Status Indians. The federal government was later granted leave to appeal to the Supreme Court. The ruling will have a far-reaching impact.