RoseAnne Archibald Ousted as AFN National Chief

Assembly of First Nations National Chief RoseAnne Archibald speaks during a news conference in Kamloops, B.C., on Sept. 30, 2021. Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press

RoseAnne Archibald, the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), has been removed by a non-confidence motion, seven months before the end date of her three-year term and after months of internal squabbles.

Archibald’s fate was decided at a one-day private meeting of the Special Chiefs Assembly, held virtually on June 28 and attended by chiefs and proxies. There were two resolutions before the council: one to have the national chief removed, and one calling for her to serve out her term until 2024.

Shortly after the vote, the AFN issued a news release advising of the decision to oust the chief.

The motion to remove Archibald, introduced by Chiefs Irene Kells, of Ontario’s Zhiibaahaasing First Nation, and Kyra Wilson, of Manitoba’s Long Plains First Nation, was passed by 163 votes, or 71 percent of votes cast. The motion required 60 percent support. A total of 231 votes were cast and there were 62 votes against the chief’s removal.

“After review of the Investigation Summary Report and hearing from National Chief RoseAnne Archibald, First Nations-in-Assembly accepted the Report and directed the removal of RoseAnne Archibald from the position of National Chief,” stated AFN Nova Scotia Regional Chief Paul Prosper.

“This decision was made due to her violation of the Whistleblower Policy and breach of the Executive Committee’s Code of Conduct. As a result, the position of National Chief will remain vacant until an interim National Chief is selected from the Executive Committee. As directed by First Nations-in-Assembly, an election will be scheduled for the December 2023 SCA.”

Allegations

The latest special assembly leading to the removal of Archibald was called following an independent human resources investigation. Four senior female staffers filed misconduct complaints involving Archibald, and the CEO of AFN at the time also filed one. The investigator was an employment lawyer in Ottawa, who said she concluded that Archibald harassed two of the individuals who complained and retaliated against all five.

Following the investigation, it was recommended that the national chief be removed from her position, which she began in July 2021.

RoseAnne Archibald, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, in Toronto on Aug. 6, 2021. Chris Young/The Canadian Press

In June 2022, the AFN accused Archibald of “serious breaches of her obligations to the AFN through unfounded and unsubstantiated public attacks on the integrity of our organization and our employees that will only serve to undermine the good work we do as we continue to serve our First Nations communities,” according to spokesman Paul Prosper, a regional chief.

Archibald was alleged to have breached the confidentiality requirements of the Harassment Policy, the AFN’s Whistleblower Policy, and the Code of Conduct and Ethics for the AFN Executive Committee. She issued a statement at the time alleging four of the complaints against her were filed after she refused demands for $1 million in staff payouts. She said at the time, “This is the second time that I’ve endured a smear campaign as a result of my relentless pursuit of the truth.”

On June 16, 2022, the national chief asked for an independent eight-year audit of the AFN, and suggested she had become a target for making changes to deal with alleged corruption in the system, after calling for financial reviews of the organization as far back as February 2021.

“I hope people can see the toxic pattern at the AFN,” she said at the time. “The background deals, the large payouts to staff and other documented incidents of corruption and collusion has caused us to lose sight of our shared goal: to fight for the collective rights of more than 900,000 Indigenous Peoples living in more than 600 First Nations communities, cities and towns across Turtle Island,” she wrote in a statement posted to social media.

Internal Squabbles

In a June 17, 2022, statement, Archibald alleged that AFN staff had launched “fictitious attacks” against her. She also said she was locked out of her email and only learned of her suspension from media reports. She called these events “a seemingly staged coup.”

The chief brought a court application to have the suspension overturned, but according to the AFN, the Ontario Superior Court declined to interfere in the matter as the Chiefs in Assembly had not yet convened. At the time, Prosper said, “We are sorry that the National Chief chose the path of colonial court confrontation to resolve this. This issue does not belong with lawyers or the courts. This matter is rightfully being brought before the First Nations to address.”

At a general meeting in July 2022 in Vancouver, Archibald’s suspension was rejected and a financial review was ordered of the federally funded organization.

The Canadian Press and Lee Harding contributed to this report.