Canadian Press: Assembly of First Nations vote

Niigaan Sinclair, assistant professor at in the department of native Studies, has been speaking with media about the Dec. 10 Assembly of First Nations national leader vote. He spoke with the Canadian Press, which had its story picked up by CTV and Global.

As the story reports:

While supporters of the AFN say it is still a vital lobbying group, others point to the short list of those running for national chief as a symptom of the need for change.

“The AFN has already lost much of the support of the grassroots,” said Niigaan Sinclair, assistant native studies professor at the University of Manitoba. “It’s continuing to lose the support of chiefs now. For the most part, all of the young chiefs and aspiring leaders who are coming up … they see no interest in working at that level.”

The next generation of First Nations leaders are interested in the environment, jobs and employment and violence against women, he said. While part of the AFN gathering will be devoted to missing and murdered aboriginal women, Sinclair said the grassroots don’t see chiefs addressing their concerns.