Byelection outlawed on reserve

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Barb Grinder, Windspeaker Correspondent, Standoff Alberta

A by-election called by the Blood Council for April 29 has been cancelled after being declared illegal by the federal courts.

The election is the latest move by Council to oust Chief Harley Frank, after a series of disputes came to a head last month. Both Frank and the Council were elected last fall and have been at loggerheads ever since.

Although many members of the tribe have asked for the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs to step in, new regional director Ken Kirby says his hands are tied. In a meeting held in Lethbridge April 21, Kirby said his department can only step in when the tribe's elections are held under the Indian Act, which the Blood do not.

Kirby said he understood both Chief and Council were abiding by the court injunctions which specifies they work together to conduct affairs of the tribe. However, when challenged by a reporter Kirby admitted band business could be suffering. The RCMP, who's mandate includes enforcing the federal injunction, are more concerned with maintaining the peace during this tense period, he said.

Representing the prestigious Buffalo Women's Society, Dorothy Day Chief handed Kirby a package of documents at the meeting. The papers purportedly show that council is criminally mismanaging band funds and deliberately ignoring the injunction.

Day Chief, a supporter of Frank, said many members of the tribe are prepared to resort to violence to oust all Council members. She said they asked Council to step down for the good of the reserve, but had received no response. Kirby said the only solution the band has is to wait for the next scheduled election in November of 1994 or to use the judicial system to solve their problems.