Assembly of First Nations Special Chiefs Assembly Closes in Winnipeg: First Nation Leaders Elect Perry Bellegarde as new AFN National Chief

WINNIPEG, Dec. 15, 2014 /CNW/ - First Nation leaders from across Canada gathered at the Special Chiefs Assembly for the past three days and elected former Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations Chief Perry Bellegarde as National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN).  He was elected on the first ballot ‎with 63% of the vote.

National Chief Perry Bellegarde will serve a three-and-a-half year term as mandated by resolution by Chiefs-in-Assembly at the 2014 Annual General Assembly.

National Chief Bellegarde stated, "I am humbled and honoured to serve First Nations. Our rights as peoples to self-determination must be respected by Canada. This will require new approaches and dialogue truly founded in a commitment to recognize and respect our inherent jurisdiction, Aboriginal rights and title and the sacred Treaty relationships between First Nations and the Crown."

The AFN Special Chiefs Assembly included discussions and strategy sessions on a number of priorities for First Nations, including dialogue on Nation Building and AFN Restructuring, First Nations Control of First Nations Education, Ending Violence Against Indigenous Women and Girls, and Land Rights and Claims.  Resolutions on key issues were adopted and will be publicly available on the AFN website and shared with First Nations in the immediate future.

The Assembly of First Nations is the national organization representing First Nations citizens in Canada. Follow AFN on Twitter @AFN_Comms, @AFN_Updates.

SOURCE: Assembly of First Nations

Alain Garon AFN Bilingual Communications Officer at 613-292-0857 or [email protected] ; Jenna Young Castro AFN Communications Officer at 613-314-8157 or [email protected]