Chiefs Gear Up For FSIN Election, Flu Season
Wednesday, October 28, 2009 at 13:51
Chiefs from across Saskatchewan will be in Saskatoon for the next two days, attending this year’s Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations fall legislative assembly.
Today there will be nominations and speeches from the eight candidates running for three positions on the executive: chief, first and third vice-chief.
Challenging incumbent Lawrence Joseph for the position of chief are Muskowekwan chief Reg Bellerose, former FSIN vice-chief Guy Lonechild, and Red Pheasant chief Sheldon Wuttunee.
Robin McLeod, from the Lac La Ronge Indian Band, is running against incumbent first vice-chief Morley Watson, and Edward (Dutch) Lerat, a Cowessess band councillor, is running against incumbent third-vice chief Glen Pratt.
There were words of advice from an FSIN senator to those eight candidates.
Senator George PeeAce gave the Senate address earlier today, and in it urged the candidates to run what he calls a “clean” campaign.
“Don’t go slinging mud, and that other stuff that people usually sling around. Don’t do that. Have a clean campaign. Go campaign based on your abilities — your vision, your abilities, your everything. Don’t go campaign on the supposed inabilities of your opponent,” PeeAce says.
Voting takes place tomorrow.
Meantime, the impending elections aren’t the only things on delegates’ minds at the assembly.
The province’s chief medical health officer was invited to speak this morning, as many in attendance have concerns about the H1N1 virus.
Dr. Moira McKinnon says First Nations people need to go see a doctor or a nurse if they experience any flu-like symptoms.
“You don’t have to go through a lot of paperwork — just go see your nurse. And we’ve arranged it so nurses can hand out anti-virals in communities where there’s no doctors. So you should not have any trouble with access to anti-virals,” McKinnon says.
McKinnon says life can go on as normal, but people need to be safe.
As delegates come to register at assembly, they have to fill out questionnaires asking if they have any flu-like symptoms, and if they do, they are sent to a nurse before registering.
There are also hand sanitizers throughout the auditorium, and signs that ask people to not be offended if people don’t shake hands as a greeting.