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.