Atleo takes the win in the third round of voting

It was another tough run for National Chief Shawn Atleo, who earned himself a second mandate from the chiefs of the Assembly of First Nations after three voting rounds on July 18 in Toronto.

The Atleo team was confident going into voting day, and their candidate was well ahead of the pack after the first ballot, garnering 284 votes out of 540; this compared to his next closest challenger Pam Palmater, who took 95 votes.

The six other contenders split the remaining votes with George Stanley dropping off the ballot with only five votes to his name, instead of the required 15 needed to stay in the race. Also dropped from the first ballot was the gregarious Joan Jack who received only 20 ballots.

The Atleo team, buoyed by the fact that Atleo was so close to the finish line with only 40 or so votes needed to meet the 60 per cent threshold required by the election rules for a win, scattered to talk up their man with the delegates.

Jack was soon in the Atleo camp pledging her support to the candidate. Despite the poor showing, the rest of the candidates stayed in the race, hoping against hope to woo supporters to their side.

“Radical” Terrance Nelson had 35 votes after the first round, while Diane M. Kelly had 39. Ellen Gabriel of Oka fame took only 33 votes, despite getting a genuinely encouraging response from the chiefs at the candidates’ forum the day before. Long-time AFN regional chief Bill Erasmus received a disappointing 29 votes.

When the results of the next ballot were announced there was shock and frustration. Atleo was just three ballots away from the 60 per cent mark with 318 votes of 535, and his supporters questioned the wisdom of the other remaining candidates holding fast.

Protocol would be for the candidates to recognize the futility of their situation and concede the contest. The Atleo team had done the math, and Palmater had gained only 12 votes in round two. They thought even if all the votes that were not for Atleo were combined and went to Palmater, she would not reach the 60 per cent mark.

That would mean that Atleo would have to lose support for Palmater to win, and history was not in her favor. The only other hope for Palmater was if there was attrition in the Atleo ranks, people going home or failing to show up for the next vote. The Atleo team had experience on their side, however, and they keep close tabs on who’s with them and who is not, and they know how to wrangle their supporters to the voting station.

Soon after the second ballot results were announced, Nelson, whose support had slid by 10 votes, went to the podium and pledged his support to Palmater, and his name was officially dropped from round three.

Gabriel, who had earlier been seen speaking with members of the Atleo team, received only 17 votes and was dropped from the ballot. She would later say a rumor had begun to circulate during the second round of voting that she was throwing her support to Atleo, and that had cost her votes. She would throw her support to Palmater.

The rest of the candidates remained unmoved going into round three. Kelly had dropped to 35 from 39, while Erasmus was up by five to 34.

So the Atleo team was back to beating the bushes for the extra votes, and they found them in Manitoba, Ontario and Saskatchewan. The die was cast for Palmater and Erasamus (Kelly had released her supporters, deciding not to endorse another candidate) and the third voting round results pushed Atleo over the finish line.

Palmater was defiant as she took the podium to thank her supporters. She raised the eagle fan she had been holding throughout the election process (she had called it her armour) and declared she would never give up the fight for sovereignty. She failed to congratulate Atleo on his win.

Erasmus was more magnanimous and asked the chiefs in assembly to rally around Atleo as he takes up the mantle for the next three years.

For his part, Atleo failed to react to the win immediately, looking somber as the election results were announced and as his supporters erupted in cheers.

After taking the oath of office from his relative and Elders Council co-chair Barney Williams, he acknowledged the powerful part the grassroots people played in this election, despite not having a vote. Through social media, the people were engaged in the process, he said, and the dialogue was significant and game-changing.

He reflected back on the residential school era when education was used as a tool to oppress First Nations and how that time has come to a close. He said future generations would look back on this moment when the chiefs decided to stand together and put the final stake in colonialism. He told the delegates and their advisors that “assimilation is no longer our reality.”

After his supporters sang a victory song for their candidate, Atleo stood on the stage for more than an hour as people lined up to shake his hand.

When Atleo finally retired to his caucus hall, bluesman Murray Porter could be heard rocking the house of the victory party that had started there.

Complete coverage in our AFN Election Blog