White chief quits

Page 2

LeGOFF - Elaine Janvier has resigned as chief of the Cold Lake First Nations Reserve.

Elected to the position March 11th in a by-election that also voted in four new councillors, Mrs. Janvier says the pressure to resign was so great by the council that she knew she would have been unable to work for them or with them in the three months remaining in the term.

The by-election was called following the resignations of Chief Maynard Metchewais and four of six councillors the last week of February due to personality clashes and unresolved conflicts among the council members. Two councillors did not resign and stayed on as members.

Councillors who did not resign were Martha Minoose and Leo Janvier, Newly elected councillors are Acting Chief Alex Charland, Judy Nest and Francis Scannie. Allen Jacob resigned but was re-elected in the by-election. Elections for chief and all six councillor positions will be held in June.

Janvier says she received encouragement to run for the office and she let her name stand at the nomination meeting that saw her and eight others in the race to become chief. One other nominee was also a woman.

After the ballots were counted and the results were announced, she had won by a one-vote margin over her closest rival, Sam Minoose.

Asked about the people's reaction to her surprise win she said, "they congratulated me, shook my hand and wished me luck. There wasn't a bad word said to me." But when she sat down in the chief's chair at 9 a.m. the next morning in the first meeting with her new council, "all hell broke loose. They asked me to reconsider my position and step down. They said I'd ben an embarrassment to them because my skin isn't the right color;."

Mrs. Janvier's racial ancestry is Caucasian but she gained Treaty status by marriage to reserve member Jack Janvier. By law, according to the Indian Act, she is fully entitled to run for and be elected to the chief's position.

"I've been a Treaty Indian for going on 16 years this May. I've considered that I was one all this time and now they're saying they can't have a white woman leading them."

She says the argument that she, as a non-Indian as leader would be an embarrassment, doesn't hold water. "This band has always had non-Indians in key positions, from office administrator to teachers, nurses, office managers, in recreation, housing and other jobs. There have always been white people on this reserve." She herself had been hired as office manager and had held that position for six years until her election.

On the weekend following the by-election, a Treaty Six conference was in progress on the reserve at which conference co-ordinator Allen Jacob stated there had been irregularities in the voting procedure and an appeal could possibly be launched. Seated at the conference head table with Chiefs Al Lameman of Beaver Lake and Eugene House of Saddle Lake, Mr. Jacob stated "we're not alleging there were irregularities, we're stating a fact - there were irregularities." After the vote count was tallied it was found a non-resident band member had voted. According to the Indian Act, only residents are eligible to vote. Mr. Jacob said the chief had been elected illegally and the matter would be looked into by the council who, he said, had been installed properly. "We're a legal council," he said.

Mrs. Janvier disputes this. She explained the procedure is such that prior to voting, each resident member must give name and Treaty number and then is handed two ballots - one for chief and one for council. All the votes are cast at the same time. "If it's an illegal election for chief, then it's an illegal election for council," she pointed out.

Dispelling the rumor she'd had a large group of voters among family members, she said, "my mother-in-law was in Edmonton having heart surgery at that time. Many of my family were there. I actually had less relatives (at the election) than most.

Following her resignation, tendered Monday night duringan emergency band meeting called eight days after her election, her husband, Jack, resigned his position as fire chief and reserve maintenance man. A sister-in-law also resigned as bookkeeper.

"We both just decided there was no point trying to work in that atmosphere." The couple had also been volunteers in the twice weekly bingo games. She said when they took over the games in October, there was virtually no money in the account. Now there's thousands in two accounts. Several weeks ago they paid out over $10,000 in prize money.

"Bingo is very big here," she said. "I don't know who they'll get to run things now, everything's been at a standstill since this uproar and pay day is on Friday. I did the payroll and accounts along with Lorraine. Fifty-seven people need cheques. I don't know of anyone else in the office who can do them."

She says she's had no negative phone calls at her home, only those supporting her position.

"A lot of the young people were behind me," she said, "and at the Band meeting there were a lot who stood up for me."

Jim Ruler, district manager for the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development in St. Paul, stated in a telephone interview that any election appeals would have to be initiated by the reserve. "Any appeal can be made under three categories," he explained. Two of those categories state an appeal may be launched "if there are any violations of the (Indian) Act that may affect (the outcome) of an election" and "an appeal may be launched by any elector who has reasonable grounds to believe there were corrupt practises (in an election). The Department would not be looking into the matter, he said. The first most most be made by a reserve individual or group.

This is not the first time a non-Native Treaty Status woman has become chief. Mr. Ruler said he remembers this happening several years ago when Mrs. Lillian Pruden was elected chief of Beaver Lake reserve, outside Lac La Biche, and served a two-year term. He said he oesn't recall any such furor there as has surfaced here at LeGoff.

Mrs. Janvier said she and her family were now going to rest and relax and take stock of things.

"We're not worried about what we'll do now," her husband said. "We have a good life here and that will continue."