UPDATE: Election dates were announced on Facebook after the June 3, 2020 print edition went to press.
Chief nominations will be held on July 7, 2020, and July 14, 2020 will be chief voting day.
On July 21, council nominations will be held, and council voting day will be on July 28.
ORIGINAL STORY
There remain far too many questions and little in the way of answers on how the Samson Cree Nation can best hold an election for its chief and council.
Back on May 12, the band council sent a letter to the federal and provincial ministers for Indigenous Relations to request advice on how it can conduct a nomination and election process that will provide everyone the opportunity to participate while remaining safe and not potentially spread COVID-19.
The letter goes on to say that a resolution was approved on April 2 to postpone the election — which was supposed to be held in mid-May — by between three and six months, with a new date depending upon when it can be held safely. It adds that the postponement resolution was passed in anticipation of election regulation changes that were in the process of being made by Indigenous Services Canada.
“While the regulations authorize a cancellation and postponement of a First Nations election to prevent, mitigate or control the spread of disease on a reserve, it provides little guidance on steps to be taken to host a safe nomination and election process,” states the letter.
“On a First Nation the size of Samson Cree Nation, this poses a challenge.”
The letter adds nomination meetings typically attract hundreds of members with as many as 100 candidates vying for either the chief or a council position. Meanwhile, the actual vote can include more than 2,000 members at both local and other regional polling stations.
“Given these dynamics, and our desire to keep our members safe,” the letter states, “Samson Cree Nation wishes to obtain specific guidance on how and when to safely conduct nominations and elections.”
The First Nation also hosted a survey of off-reserve members on their thoughts about a postponement as well as held a virtual town hall on May 29 to gauge the thoughts of its members.
Editor’s note: A request for information was sent to the Samson Cree Nation but no response was received by press time.