They are starting to count the ballots at the Assembly of First Nations election in Winnipeg.
Supporters of the three men vying to be national chief — Perry Bellegarde, Ghyslain Picard and Leon Jourdain — are busy milling around the conference centre in their respective colours.
Right now, Bellegarde’s yellow t-shirts appear to be the most visible to the casual observer.
Former Lac La Ronge Indian Band Chief Harry Cook is one of the elders attending today’s election, he and a few other observers believe Bellegarde is the front-runner.
“From what I can gather from talking with people, a lot of people, I think, are going to be supporting the FSIN chief, Perry Bellegarde.”
However, another delegate says he thinks Jourdain has a lot of quiet support and he hopes he wins.
“Leon Jourdain was the strongest in the youth area, in what I want to see.”
Voting closed at noon Saskatchewan time. Between now and 1:00 p.m., electoral officials will count the ballots.
The results should be known sometime after that.
This week’s election has come under scrutiny by a lot of observers and delegates who feel it must signal a change for the AFN.
Not enough female chiefs and not enough grassroots input are two of the most common criticisms being heard.
One observer says he thinks grassroots should be voting for the chief through electronic voting on their home reserves.
However, another man from Manitoba’s Lac Brochet First Nation says he thinks the AFN is still doing a lot of good, and he is happy to have made the trip down.