Accusations fly as Kanehsatake chief ousted

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Less than a year into his mandate, Jerry Peltier has been ousted as Grand Chief of Kanehsatake after he and his opponents traded accusations of wrong-doing and corruption.

After months of controversy surrounding Peltier's administration, members of the Mohawk Nation near Oka, Que. voted by secret ballot to remove Peltier from office. The motion to oust the chief was won by 169 votes to 48.

But Peltier and his supporters aren't going down without a fight. Shortly after the community assembly, held Feb. 28, Peltier wrote to Indian Affairs minister Ron Irwin contesting the validity of the vote and a former Peltier aide, Mary Cree, announced plans to sue the Indian Act band council.

Meanwhile, the band council's books are being investigated by police for evidence of financial wrong-doing under Peltier's administration.

Questions about Peltier's administration intensified in recent months as residents complained of growing crime in the community.

An open dispute occurred between Peltier and the band council, when the council fired Cree, Peltier's aide and confidante, from the post of director of operations on Jan. 23.

On Feb. 19, Peltier wrote a letter to the band council suggestion a new election be held to reaffirm Peltier's mandate. But the band council decided that Peltier had tendered his resignation and instead scheduled a vote on whether he should stay in power.

The Eastern Door, a Kahnawake newspaper, reported that there is no provision in the electoral code that the band was using for removing a grand chief, except in the case where there is a conviction of a felony.

Interim Grand Chief Jimmy Gabriel conceded that Peltier's Feb. 19 letter was not a letter of resignation, but added that after the letter was sent Peltier emptied his office and left town.

"We interpreted that letter and his actions as him abandoning his post," Gabriel said.

Gabriel said Peltier wrote his letter right after he learned that the band council was looking at the band's books and investigating possible improprieties.

"When we started looking at financial records of our office, we started becoming suspicious," said Gabriel. "The moment we started poking around the budgeting, he (Peltier) sent the letter calling for new elections."

Gabriel said he hopes a new election will be held in May.

Peltier's supporters vehemently deny there was any wrongdoing under his administration and in turn accuse members of the band council of shady dealings in the plans to build a casino in the community. One Peltier supporter said Mary Cree was actually fired because she found out too much about the project, which the supporter said included "a lot of backroom deals."