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WEDNESDAY, JULY 16, 2003

Canadian Aboriginal leaders will be voting for chief of the Assembly of First Nations today.

AFN is the largest First Nations organization in Canada, representing 642,000 federally recognized Natives. It is considered the major lobbying organization on federal Indian issues, the most important being a proposed overhaul of the Indian Act.

Incumbent chief Matthew Coon Come, who is Cree, is running against Phil Fontaine, a former AFN chief who is Ojibwe, and Roberta Jamieson, chief of the Six Nations in Ontario. Coon Come has been highly critical of the federal government while Fontaine is seen as close to the Liberal Party. Jamieson is seeking to make history as the first woman to head AFN.

Get the Story:
Close race for First Nations election (CBC 7/15)
First Nations chiefs gear up for vote (CBC 7/15)

Relevant Links:
Assembly of First Nations - http://www.afn.ca
AFN In-depth, CBC News - http://www.cbc.ca/news/indepth/firstnations/afn.html
First Nations Governance Act, CBC - http://www.cbc.ca/news/features/indian_act.html

Related Stories:
Federal officials monitored tribal protest (7/7)
First Nations protest changes in federal policy (04/29)
Aboriginals protest lack of consultation (4/28)
Canadian tribal leaders to meet (07/15)
Indian policy changes opposed (06/18)
Indian affairs overhaul faces delays (6/14)
Consultations halted on Indian policy changes (8/1)