Perry Bellegarde re-elected as national chief of Assembly of First Nations

VANCOUVER – The Assembly of First Nations has re-elected Perry Bellegarde as its national chief.

He won 328 of the 522 votes in a second ballot, giving him just over the 60 per cent needed to be elected as leader for a second term.

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The vote in Vancouver wasn’t without controversy, as the four other candidates claimed election interference by the federal government because Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett was at the convention during the vote.

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Candidate Sheila North of Manitoba said Bennett’s presence represents a “disgusting display of interference,” while Russ Diabo of Quebec called for the minister to be sanctioned.

Bennett’s office issued a statement saying “in no way” did the minister interfere in the election process.

It says Bennett was invited by Chief Marlene Poitras of Alberta to listen to her regional concerns and at no point was the election for national chief discussed.