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KFN gets new election code

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Roy Fabian. NNSL file photo.

K'atlodeeche First Nation (KFN) has approved a new election code, which will be used for its upcoming votes for chief and council in November.

It was approved at an Aug. 7 general band meeting by a show of hands from the approximately 20 band members in attendance.

Chief Roy Fabian: K'atlodeeche First Nation gets new election code to replace document from 2005. NNSL file photo

Chief Roy Fabian said the new election code was passed with only one abstention.

Fabian said a general band meeting in March passed a motion that the First Nation rewrite its election code.

"So we took that direction and there was a committee appointed at that general band meeting," he said, noting the former election code was approved in 2005. "We hired a consultant to help the group to come up with a new election code. So the committee went to work on it."

Fabian said the working group consulted with the community, and in some cases even went door-to-door to get opinions and suggestions.

A draft election code was approved by the band council in June, and a review period began that ended with the membership meeting on Aug. 7.

Fabian said there are a number of changes in the new election code, including the date for elections which affected this year's Treaty Day.

In the 2005 election code, elections were to be held on Treaty Day, he explained. "So we ran into a problem back in March when the general band passed a motion to rewrite the election code. We had to hold a vote under the (2005) election code. So because of all the procedures and stuff like that in the election code, we had to move the Treaty Day from June to Nov. 6.... Our Treaty Day this year is going to be Nov. 6 and that's when the election is going to take place."

Fabian said, under the new election code, elections will be in November and Treaty Day can be moved back to June.

"People felt that Treaty Day should be a celebratory process because that's when we made treaty with Canada and it's an important day for us," he said, adding people did not want to have Treaty Day interfered with every three years by elections.

The chief also noted there is a new way to change the election code.

"At a general band meeting in the future, if the people have issues with parts of the code or whatever they want to make changes, they can do that," he said. "So as long as it gets approved by the general band at a general band meeting, the issue can be raised and voted on and wording could be changed. Then the band council has to go through a whole process and hold a plebiscite on that change."

The latest changes to the election code do not have to go to a plebiscite.

Another change in the new election code is the number of band councillors is returning to six.

Fabian noted that, in 2012, band council approved electing only four councillors and a chief.

"We needed to cut back on spending, so that was just one way of reducing the cost of operation," he said. "But now things are back up to par and the band is in a good financial state."

Fabian commended the committee that reviewed the old election code and drafted the new one.

"It was quite informative and there was really good discussion," he said. "People were really cautious. They had a lot of great questions or concerns. But the election code committee dealt with those issues and tried to explain the whole process so that people could understand."

Fabian said the election code committee did a good job of consulting with the community.