Former Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO) grand chief Sheila North announced May 14 that she is seeking to become the next grand chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs.
A member of Bunibonibee Cree Nation at Oxford House in Northern Manitoba, North was the MKO grand chief from 2015 to 2018 and also sought election as Assembly of First Nations grand chief in 2018.
Prior to becoming MKO grand chief, she worked as a journalist for CBC and other news outlets in Manitoba and is known for her work on the topic of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.
“I think our First Nations leaders have done a tremendous job keeping our people safe during this COVID-19 pandemic," North said in a press release announcing her candidacy. “They’ve shown the strength and love they have for others by sharing resources they have to keep people safe, including sharing the extra vaccines they had access to. This is the type of leadership that I want to stand with as we move forward to economic and social recovery for our nations.”
North says she is campaigning on a four-pillar platform to forge relationships, restore nationhood, rebuild activism and recover wellness.
“I believe it is time to reset the relationships between First Nations and the rest of Canada,” North says. “A relationship that honours the spirit and intent of the treaties that talk about mutual respect, peaceful co-existence and collaboration. First Nations have the right and the ability to run their own affairs and I want to stand with the leaders who are exercising their sovereignty every day.”
The AMC represents 62 of 63 Manitoba First Nations, whose chiefs elect the grand chief. The current AMC Grand Chief Arlen Dumas of Mathias Colomb Cree Nation at Pukatawagan is one of two Northern Manitobans to have held the position, along with Ron Evans of Norway House Cree Nation, who was AMC grand chief from 2005 to 2011.
