----- Original Message -----
From: Russell Diabo
To: Undisclosed-Recipient:;@...
Sent: Thursday, July 09, 2009 7:28 PM
Subject: GLOBE & MAIL: Chief to press for firm rules on disclosure in AFN votes


Chief to press for firm rules on disclosure in AFN votes
Official hopes for changes in 2010 election

Bill Curry

Ottawa - From Friday's Globe and Mail Last updated on Thursday, Jul. 09, 2009
09:27PM EDT

Manitoba Chief Marcel Balfour says he will use this month's Assembly of First
Nations convention in Calgary to call for new, more transparent disclosure rules
for AFN national chief campaigns.

Mr. Balfour said he intends to push the issue at the convention after a Globe
and Mail report found none of the five candidates would fully identify their
source of funding when asked - though two released a breakdown of their
donations by category.

Mr. Balfour praised the fact that those two candidates, Shawn Atleo and John
Beaucage, did agree to release some details of their donations for publication
at www.globeandmail.com. However, he intends to call on chiefs to approve clear
disclosure rules for the next race in 2012.

"I'll seek to have this addressed at the assembly so that on our next go-round,
we don't have to rely on the goodwill of some candidates and not others to be
fully transparent," he said.

Two of the five candidates - Bill Wilson and Mr. Atleo - also told The Globe
their campaigns have turned down offers of financial support from natural
resources companies. Mr. Balfour, who is one of roughly 633 chiefs who are
allowed to vote at the July 22 leadership convention in Calgary, said corporate
donations must be revealed.

"As a chief who is one of the select few people who can actually vote for
national chief, I'm greatly concerned that the position of national chief can
potentially be influenced by large private donators that we're not even aware
of," said Mr. Balfour, who is Chief of Norway House Cree Nation, one of the
largest native communities in Manitoba.

Mr. Balfour was elected on a platform of open government in 2007 and has since
been subjected to various anonymous threats. He was assaulted by mystery
assailants while in Winnipeg and his home on the reserve was broken into several
times. He said he occasionally needs to use a bodyguard.

"If somebody purports to be national chief, they should be cultivating a culture
of transparency both at the national level and locally for all the chiefs and it
concerns me that national chief candidates don't want to disclose information of
where they're getting their money from," he said.

Two candidates, Mr. Wilson and Terry Nelson, both told The Globe they had barely
raised any money at this point and intend to disclose all donations on their
website before the July 22 vote in Calgary.

The fifth candidate, Perry Bellegarde from Saskatchewan, told The Globe through
his campaign manager that he would not be making campaign donations public.

Bob Goulais, a spokesman for the Beaucage campaign, said clearer fundraising
rules would be welcome.

"It would be good for future races," he said yesterday.

Mr. Beaucage noted that it is a challenge to go back to donors and seek
permission to release their names after the fact because the donations were
given under the current rules, which do not require disclosure to the public.

Chief Doug Kelly, the co-chair of Mr. Atleo's campaign, also welcomed the call
for clearer rules.

"I know that Shawn would support that," Mr. Kelly said.

Peter Dinsdale, executive director of the National Association of Friendship
Centres, said the Atleo and Beaucage campaigns deserve credit for disclosing
funding details that have historically been kept secret.

"Those that disclose, we certainly applaud their openness," said Mr. Dinsdale,
who will be attending the convention as an observer. He said he was surprised to
learn the campaign spending limit was as low as $35,000 given the cost of
cross-country travel.

Mr. Dinsdale said he can understand why some of the campaigns might have had a
challenge in releasing their donations upon request.

"To my knowledge, this is the first time this kind of thing has been disclosed
publicly," he said. "I think it's a great first step. I think it's something
that should be a part of the processes moving forward."


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