FSIN 2nd Vice-Chief David Pratt withdraws his candidacy for AFN National Chief

David Pratt from the Muscowpetung First Nation conceded his race for national chief in the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) election on Dec. 7.

“The decision to concede is never an easy decision. I know a lot of our chiefs wanted me to keep going and pushing the fight. But I knew that it wasn’t doing our convention any good to prolong it,” said Pratt.

“The issues are too important for us to hold back the next national chief from taking over.”

Pratt, who is the second vice-chief with the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN), announced his candidacy to run for AFN national chief in mid-August, focusing his campaign on restoring and rebuilding the national organization.

His campaign themes included unity and inclusion, reconciliation and rights, economic empowerment and environmental stewardship.

Throughout the past few months of campaigning, Pratt said he learned a lot about the Indigenous communities across the country.

“I learned about your issues. I learned about the challenges that you’re facing,” he said. “I learned about the different things that are happening within each of your regions and how you continue to fight against the Canadian state and their unjust policies and legislations.”

In his concession speech, Pratt congratulated Cindy Woodhouse, who is the newly elected AFN national chief.

“I want to tell our new national chief she has my 110-per cent support. Her success is all of our success,” he said. “Let’s come together and let’s be the powerful AFN that we are, were and will be.”

Pratt did not concede as expected after the fourth ballot, leading to a tense conversation with Woodhouse on the floor of the convention centre in downtown Ottawa and another round of voting.

He did not concede after the fifth or sixth, either, on the advice of his supporters who were holding out hope he could mount a comeback, and after another candidate, Sheila North, threw her support behind him in her concession speech.

But then Pratt conceded Thursday morning before the vote at a special chiefs assembly in downtown Ottawa headed into a seventh round.

“I’m not leaving here mad or sad,” he said. “We leave here united.”

In her acceptance speech, national chief Woodhouse expressed how happy she and Pratt were to have a long discussion on the night of Dec. 6 and the next morning.

“We came together in a good way,” she said. “Because we have to work for you … this isn’t about us.”

Muskowekwan First Nation member Reginald Bellerose, chair of the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority, also vied for AFN National Chief but was one of the two lowest-ranking candidates, who was dropped from the second ballot.

— with files from The Canadian Press and Brody Langager

2:00 Cindy Woodhouse, from Pinaymootang First Nation, secures victory as AFN national chief-elect