Assembly of First Nations Kicks Off 44th Annual General Assembly, While Questions Swirl Over Ex-National Chief

It was an eventful day as the Assembly of First Nations 44th Annual General Assembly got underway in Halifax yesterday.

Ex-National Chief RoseAnne Archibald attended the meeting virtually after she was voted out of her role less than two weeks prior.

Three attempts to introduce a resolution to re-instate the ousted-Chief were turned down before the Assembly’s agenda could even be adopted.

That would lead to Archibald calling the process an affront to democracy, and accusing the AFN of hand-selecting Chiefs to move specific motions.

She would later be removed from the meeting in the interest of maintaining orderly conduct, with co-chairs wishing to focus on the issues at hand.

Prior to her expulsion, Archibald had been calling for a forensic audit into the AFN’s finances, while accusing them of corruption.

Interim-National Chief Joanna Bernard says that no evidence exists to back those claims, but that a forensic audit will be conducted if deemed necessary.

For now, the AFN says the last 10 years of independent, audited financial statements are available on their website, via their annual reports.