THUNDER BAY – The candidates are set for a Nishnawbe Aski Nation election that will determine the organization’s new grand chief and deputy grand chiefs.
Derek Fox and Bruce Shisheesh will vie for the top job, while seven candidates put themselves forward for NAN’s three deputy grand chief roles.
The chiefs of the 49 First Nations represented by NAN will vote for the positions in August.
Fox, from Bearskin First Nation, has served as a NAN deputy grand chief since 2015, having been re-elected in 2018.
Shisheesh is a former chief of Attawapiskat First Nation who helped draw national attention to the community’s suicide crisis in 2016.
Candidates for deputy grand chief include:
- Anna Betty Achneepineskum, Marten Falls First Nation
- Randall Crowe, Deer Lake First Nation
- Joseph Duncan, Muskrat Dam First Nation
- Lawrence Jefferies, Moose Cree First Nation
- Victor H. Linklater, Taykwa Tagamou Nation
- Howard Meshake, Aroland First Nation
- Bobby Narcisse, Aroland First Nation
- Andrew Solomon, Fort Albany First Nation
The vote will take place virtually on Aug. 11 during the Keewaywin Conference. The official campaign period is already underway and will last through Aug. 9.
Terms for the positions run for three years, beginning directly after the election.
Candidates must be members of a NAN First Nation, at least 18 years of age, and cannot have a criminal record in order to qualify.
Current Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler, who served in the role since 2015, declared his candidacy last month for the post of national chief of the Assembly of First Nations.
Ontario Regional Chief RoseAnne Archibald is also pursuing the AFN leadership. Elections for the Ontario Regional Chiefs position are set for June 16 as part of the Annual All Ontario Chiefs Conference.
The successor to current National Chief Perry Bellegarde, who is not seeking re-election, will be chosen in July.
More information on the election is available online.
