Tuesday was a historically bad day for the shíshálh Nation, because it exposed a community that is fiercely divided over its leadership and its future.
Around noon, while about 30 band members continued to enforce their week-long shutdown of the administrative buildings, in some cases openly heckling Chief Calvin Craigan when he appeared before them to speak, about the same number gathered along the highway in a display of their collective support for the chief.
The image of Craigan sitting on the steps outside his own office, while band member Willard Joe stood watch in front of the chained doorway, is one we’ll not soon forget.
As Christine Wood reported in this week’s edition, the lockdown ended Tuesday when protesters and councillors signed an agreement specifying that Craigan would take a leave of absence for a minimum of one month while a forensic audit is conducted by a third party. At issue is a litany of allegations by the protesters, who accuse Craigan of mismanaging finances, hiring without due process and breaking his oath of office. Based on their assertions, the protesters wanted Craigan’s resignation. The agreement reached Tuesday was a compromise, allowing Craigan to remain chief for now but stripping him of his authority until, presumably, the audit is completed. That includes Craigan giving up his credit card and cellphone.
Craigan was elected in early 2014 by a slim margin, finishing with 115 votes compared to 108 votes for Warren Paull and 78 for Kevin August. One year into the term, two former councillors, Wesley Jeffries and Robert Joe, went public with their claim that band members had never been consulted about seeking reconciliation with the province, and that as a result there was “mass confusion” among band members about the direction chief and council were taking.
When everything blew up this month, we found out that one of the band’s four elected councillors, Ben Pierre Jr., had been removed from council. We don’t know why and no one has explained why.
Complaints about lack of communication are rampant among the protesters and there seems little doubt that this shortcoming helped push the band into crisis.
In the days ahead, we urge the leadership to open the lines of communication by utilizing the local media. Our readers include many band members and we are here to inform them, along with the rest of the community, about their government’s words and actions.
Government without transparent decision-making doesn’t fly anywhere. That goes for shíshálh Nation as well.
