Former Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations chief Guy Lonechild is attempting to make a political comeback with the organization.
Lonechild is one of three candidates for the office of Second Vice-Chief.
That position was recent vacated by Bobby Cameron, who is running for chief of the FSIN in this month’s elections.
Lonechild resigned as FSIN chief in August of 2011 after accepting a confidential severance package.
He began getting pressure to resign when it was learned he was charged with drunk driving just before he was elected to office.
Lonechild spent the past few months quietly campaigning meeting with Elders, Chiefs and Councillors to see if there was support for his candidacy.
Lonechild says the support for a run at the Chief’s Office just wasn’t there at this time.
“Actually talked to a lot of other people around the province too, and they had already committed to other candidates long before I even officially decided to run for Chief,” says Lonechild. “I was really feeling out in terms of how people thought about me returning and that process took a little bit longer than I had anticipated.”
For a while Lonechild wasn’t sure if he would get the opportunity to run in the FSIN election.
He said he wasn’t sure if the FSIN credentials committee would approve his application because he did not have a vulnerable sector check completed.
He said he applied for one in August and for some reason it wasn’t completed so he had to apply for a second one in September.
“And ultimately it still hasn’t come back but the Credentials Committee saw it upon themselves to accept me without the completed vulnerable sector check done,” says Lonechild. “All it was, was glitches in my processing of my vulnerable sector check.”
He added he asked the credentials committee to state in writing why his candidacy was permitted.
Other candidates like Shirley Wolfe-Keller were told she couldn’t run because she didn’t have the proper documentation.
Lonechild will be up against Bob Merasty and Rod Atcheynum with the election scheduled for later this month in Saskatoon.