Assembly of First Nations chiefs voted Wednesday to remove RoseAnne Archibald as national chief, bringing an end to an acrimonious term for the organization under its embattled leader and sparking an early search for her replacement.
The vote was held during a virtual special chiefs assembly meeting over Zoom, where 71 per cent of First Nations leaders voted in favour of Archibald’s removal. The motion needed at least 60 per cent support to pass.
Archibald was the first woman to hold the position of national chief.
“We look forward to getting back to the important work of advancing First Nations priorities and acting on behalf of the best interests of our communities,” AFN Nova Scotia Regional Chief Paul Prosper said in a statement released by the organization.
“We extend our best wishes to RoseAnne Archibald in her future endeavors.”
Archibald has yet to comment publicly on her removal and her office did not respond to a request for comment. Her Twitter account was deleted shortly after the vote Wednesday.
Controversy has been swirling around Archibald and her leadership since she was elected in 2021.
At the time of her election, she was already facing an investigation into allegations of harassment and bullying from her time as Ontario regional chief. She said then that the probe, which has since been resolved, was due to her vocal allegations that women and LGBTQ2 members of the organization were facing harassment and bullying.
In June 2022, the AFN’s executive committee and national board of directors unlawfully suspended Archibald, blocking her phone and email access while a human resources investigation into four workplace harassment complaints against her got underway.
At the following month’s AFN convention in Vancouver, chiefs voted down an emergency resolution to affirm her suspension. Archibald then took the stage to express her gratitude, alleging she was unjustly suspended because she had been trying to investigate corruption within the assembly.
Archibald claimed the upset staffers had demanded more than $1 million in payouts, which she refused to provide. Prior to her suspension, she had publicly alleged corruption is rife within the AFN, describing various “financial irregularities,” “backroom deals,” and efforts to silence her disclosure of them.
The general assembly then approved a motion that called for a financial review of the AFN, including how contracts are awarded within the organization as well as conflict of interest concerns, and would make recommendations aimed at strengthening transparency and accountability.
The AFN said Wednesday’s meeting was meant to fulfill the mandate of that motion, which was amended at the convention to include a report on the findings of a human resources investigation into the claims against Archibald.
The meeting was not open to the public. CBC News said it was allowed to view the virtual session but was barred from reporting on it until the meeting concluded.
The AFN said position of national chief will remain vacant until a member of the executive committee is chosen as an interim replacement.
A new national chief will be chosen in a special election scheduled for December — seven months before Archibald’s term was set to end.
—With files from Global’s Elizabeth McSheffrey and the Canadian Press