Plans for an election later this month on the Fond Du Lac (FDL) First Nation in Northern Saskatchewan have been brought to a halt with no immediate explanation why.
According to a letter published Friday on the Fond du Lac Facebook page by Electoral Officer Derek McDonald, the scheduled Jan. 29 election has been postponed for “reasons beyond my control.”
No further explanation has been provided and
paNOW’s attempts to speak with McDonald by phone were unsuccessful.
The letter does indicate new dates for the advance polls and the general election will be announced “as they are determined.”
A photo of the letter signed by Derek McDonald. (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)
Treaty 8
One of the controversial issues leading up to this month’s election is the disbursement of the band’s Treaty 8 funds.
In April, 2018, the Canadian Government reached a $177 million settlement with Black Lake and Fond du Lac. The Treaty included a clause that allowed the signing bands to collect agricultural benefits, ammunition, and twine from the Crown.
Community members eventually voted on a plan to take a payment of $15,000 each. Theriault said he didn’t like the way the process was handled.
“I knew damn well they could not get 90 per cent votes from Fond Du Lac. The reason being is a majority of the population are spread out all over Canada,” he said.