Thanks to his work as chief of the White Bear First Nation, shared with that community’s leaders in the 1990s, Indigenous-led casinos are regular fixtures today: Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA), their regulating body, earned $270 million in the last fiscal year, employs more than 1,600 people, manages seven year-round casinos, and is also celebrating its 25th anniversary. But as Shepherd, now a band councillor, looks back he’s reminded that the tidy, yearly milestones offer only half a picture. Earlier events in the 90s point to familiar themes when governments interact with Indigenous people: Heavy-handed police power; minimal government support for First Nations; betrayed commitments.
OTTAWA — National Chief Perry Bellegarde of the Assembly of First Nations said he won t seek re-election as the head of the organization next summer, saying he has spent his six years in the role . . .
Perry Bellegarde has spent his six years in the role helping bring Indigenous issues to the forefront of Canadian public life. “Last night, I wrote to the Chiefs of Canada – saying I will not be seeking re-election in next July’s AFN National Chief’s election,” the National Chief said. “Being National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, has been the greatest job I could have imagined.” “Issues and concerns that we used to talk about only among ourselves, around the kitchen table, are now out there in the media every day, at the centre of public debate,” Bellegarde said in a series of tweets on December 5.