SADDLE LAKE - The leadership of Saddle Lake Cree Nation is in dispute after a lengthy band meeting on July 2 which is described by some as a “hostile takeover.”
Dale Steinhauer was elected chief in a vote held June 18 and sworn in at a ceremony with the rest of council on June 20. John E. Large, James R. Steinhauer, Glen J. Whiskeyjack, Eddy Makokis, Charles A. Cardinal, Kevin A. Delver, Kenton F. Cardinal and Arthur C. Steinhauer were also elected to band council from a panel of 50 nominees.
According to social media posts by people who attended the meeting in person and online, a motion calling for re-election of chief and the reinstatement of the previous council was made by Linda McGilvery and seconded by Valerie Steinhauer.
“It was awful. It was a hostile takeover by people who were there for an agenda that had nothing to do with the band meeting,” said Leah Redcrow.
“It was a severe form of bullying and harassment against the Chief and some of the new councillors. It was disturbing. They wouldn’t let anyone speak except themselves,” said Redcrow.
Redcrow said she registered her “no” vote with the recording secretary before she left the meeting at about 10:30 p.m.
The previous band council included Eric Shirt, Mary Jane Cardinal, Pauline Hunter, John Large, Kevin Delver, Charles Cardinal, and Jason Whiskeyjack. Whiskeyjack was named chief after the death of Chief Terry Cardinal.
According to social media posts there were approximately 196 people physically present for the meeting and 72 people attending online. 128 people voted for a re-election, 68 were opposed, and the 72 people attending online were all opposed.
“128 people don’t have the authority to overturn the election. That’s not how it works,” said Redcrow.
Speaking in Cree and English, Chief Steinhauer posted a 36-minute video update to social media on July 4, explaining she does not have access to the band website to provide the update there.
“I am not stepping down. I said it three times in that band meeting, I've stated it four times here. I am going to work today,” said Steinhauer, who acknowledged no agenda was included with the meeting notice.
“Had there been an agenda item that this motion was going to be presented, then I think more people would have attended, and we would have been focused on that one agenda item,” said Steinhauer.
She said the electronic key fobs she and two councillors were given have since been demagnetized.
“We are going to call and have a forensic audit. It has to happen,” said Steinhauer.
A forensic audit was begun in 2020, but “based on preliminary work, ISC determined a forensic audit was not necessary. Saddle Lake Cree Nation was informed of this decision,” said Jacinthe Goulet, a spokesperson for Indigenous Services Canada and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada.
Steinhauer said she has directed two of the councillors to find a neutral facilitator.
“It's going to be one of our own people, who’s versed in treaty, who's versed in sovereignty first of all, and versed in governance, Indigenous governance, and versed in colonial practices so that we can unpeel those layers that have come to hurt us. We're in this together,” said Steinhauer.
According to Steinhauer, the motion at the meeting also called for the reinstatement of boards, for Chief and Council to work towards a terms of reference, and to establish an election code before September.
“I'm going to put my two cents in here, we can't have an election code without a clear membership code,” said Steinhauer.
“We are accepting our coded individuals. We are not going to be excluding anybody anymore. That's not who we are. We are about inclusion, and I am going to lead the way to ensure that all our relatives who have been coded by the government are reinstated,” said Steinhauer.
Saddle Lake is the second largest First Nation in Alberta, with a registered population of 11,285 people, according to their website. This includes 6,757 on reserve members and 4,528 off-reserve. The 2024 estimate on the Government of Alberta website puts the on-reserve population much lower at 3,847.
According to Redcrow, much of the tension within the community stems from the amalgamation of four smaller Cree bands into what is now Saddle Lake Cree Nation.
The Saddle Lake website says the Blue Quills, Saddle Lake, Waskatenaw, and Whitefish bands were amalgamated beginning in 1902 with the process being completed in 1953. In the present day, Saddle Lake and Whitefish Lake have separate councils, but are considered one Nation by the federal government.
“This should really put the Canadian government to attention now to see how bad the relations are getting within the community. Each of the bands, we all need our own sovereignty. We all have different outlooks for our own future, and we need to all regain our independence,” said Redcrow.
