Peepeekisis Chief’s Opponents Plan To File Appeal
Tuesday, October 06, 2009 at 14:38
A group calling itself Peepeekisis Treaty Enforcement says the community’s council of elders will appeal a court decision rendered last week.
A federal court judge ruled the community’s council of elders, who removed the chief, did not have authority to do so.
Spokesperson Evelyn Poitras says the council is “disappointed” with the outcome of the decision.
Poitras says she believes it’s a breach of treaty for the federal court to impose jurisdiction on Peepeekisis.
“Our band custom election act is law to us, and it is recognized as federal law as well, and there’s no question about that. There’s a contradiction there — what are we supposed to do, roll over and say, ‘Oh yes, we can abandon our own law.’ I can’t see that ever happening,” she says.
The judge ruled the federal court had jurisdiction to review the decisions of the council of elders made under the band’s election act.