The Assembly of First Nations’ executive committee passed a resolution on Friday to recommend chiefs-in-assembly remove RoseAnne Archibald as national chief at their next meeting, CBC News has learned.
The resolution states a human resources investigation into Archibald’s conduct found she breached the national organization’s harassment and whistleblower policy, along with its code of conduct and ethics, according to multiple sources who were at the meeting and a copy of the resolution shared with CBC News.
CBC has not independently verified the contents of the reports from the investigation.
“The AFN executive committee is out of line and their motion is completely unnecessary as 75% of First Nations-in-Assembly overwhelmingly endorsed my leadership and approach to create more transparency and accountability at the AFN,” Archibald responded to the executive committee’s resolution in a statement from her press secretary, Andrew St. Germain, to CBC News.
“Resolution 3/2022 is very clear that it’s the First Nations-in-Assembly who are to receive and consider the report, not the AFN executive committee, who are yet again overstepping their authority. Once the report is shared publicly, everyone will know the truth.”
My statement on final HR investigation report: <a href=”https://t.co/W1kemZO4t9″>pic.twitter.com/W1kemZO4t9</a>
Her latest statement comes after she released her own interpretation of the probe’s results in an April 21 statement — saying she had been “vindicated.”
Ten regional chiefs unanimously passed the resolution on Friday, according to the document. It was moved by New Brunswick AFN Regional Chief Joanna Bernard and seconded by Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare.
Archibald was not at the executive committee meeting where the resolution recommending her expulsion was passed. Sources tell CBC News that would have been a conflict of interest.
“The executive committee hereby denounces the national chief for her breaches,” the resolution says.
Ottawa-based employment lawyer Raquel Chisholm was hired by the AFN to oversee the investigation.
The investigators made five reports, one for each complainant, according to the resolution.
First Nation leaders voted to lift RoseAnne Archibald’s suspension as national chief by the Assembly of First Nations’ executive committee at last July’s assembly in Vancouver. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
The resolution states the reports cannot be disclosed to the chiefs-in-assembly due to confidentiality requirements of the AFN’s harassment policy and the Canada Labour Code.
But it also says Chisholm will prepare a summary of the five reports for the chiefs-in-assembly, including the context of the executive committee’s recommendation.
Chiefs-in-assembly, ultimately, have the final say on Archibald’s future. Their next meeting is scheduled for July in Halifax.
The executive committee says Chisholm found Archibald harassed two complainants contrary to the AFN’s workplace violence, discrimination and harassment policy, according to the resolution.
The resolution also says Archibald breached the confidentiality requirements of the harassment and whistleblower policy, and code of conduct and ethics, in all five reports. It says investigators found that Archibald retaliated against all five people for bringing forward their complaints.
The executive committee also said Archibald’s actions have put the AFN at risk of “significant liability for constructive and wrongful dismissive damages, [as] well as other statutory and common law damages through her actions.”
History of tension
This is not the first time the executive committee has tried to sanction Archibald related to the bullying and harassment allegations from AFN staff.
Archibald, who was elected as the first female national chief in July 2021, has always maintained she didn’t bully or harass anyone. She called the investigation a “smear campaign” and an attempt to undermine her leadership when it was announced.
Archibald also expressed concerns about the investigation, calling it “confrontational” and “colonial.”
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the NDP is caving to political pressure from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre when it comes to their stance on the consumer carbon price.
Trudeau says he believes Jagmeet Singh and the NDP care about the environment, but it’s “increasingly obvious” that they have “no idea” what to do about climate change.
On Thursday, Singh said the NDP is working on a plan that wouldn’t put the burden of fighting climate change on the backs of workers, but wouldn’t say if that plan would include a consumer carbon price.
Singh’s noncommittal position comes as the NDP tries to frame itself as a credible alternative to the Conservatives in the next federal election.
Poilievre responded to that by releasing a video, pointing out that the NDP has voted time and again in favour of the Liberals’ carbon price.
British Columbia Premier David Eby also changed his tune on Thursday, promising that a re-elected NDP government would scrap the long-standing carbon tax and shift the burden to “big polluters,” if the federal government dropped its requirements.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Simon Jolin-Barrette, minister responsible for consumer protection, has tabled a bill to force merchants to calculate tips based on the price before tax.
That means on a restaurant bill of $100, suggested tips would be calculated based on $100, not on $114.98 after provincial and federal sales taxes are added.
The bill would also increase the rebate offered to consumers when the price of an item at the cash register is higher than the shelf price, to $15 from $10.
And it would force grocery stores offering a discounted price for several items to clearly list the unit price as well.
Businesses would also have to indicate whether taxes will be added to the price of food products.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
