The federal department of Aboriginal Affairs has removed the chief and three councillors from office with the Esgenoopetitj First Nation, N.B. following an investigation into corrupt practices during the May 25, 2010 band election.
Chief Wilbur Dedam and band councillors Irene Dedam, Jason Barnaby and Ronald Joseph Somerville received notices of their removal from Esgenoopetitj (formerly Burnt Church) band council via registered mail dated Sept. 18. RadioGoogoo.ca optained a copy of the letter sent to Wilbur Dedam.
In the letter, the Department of Aboriginal Affairs (formerly Indian Affairs) wrote it has also barred Wilbur Dedam, Irene Dedam and Ronald Joseph Somerville from running for chief or council for a period of two years. Jason Barnaby is banned from running for office for four years.
The remaining nine seats on band council remain unaffected by the department’s decision. The department has chosen not to hold an accelerated by-election to fill the vacant seats since the band council still maintains quorum to conduct band affairs. However, the band may choose to hold a by-election at its own expense to fill the vacant seats for chief and council.
“I am happy in a way,” Curtis Bartibogue said in an interview Wednesday. “I’m glad that something is actually being done by the federal government,” he said.
Bartibogue, who unsuccessfully ran against incumbent Wilbur Dedam for the chief’s position, filed an appeal of the May 25, 2010 election which prompted the department’s investigation into allegations of vote-buying and ballot-tampering by several candidates.
A video that caught one of the candidates for council filling out a mail-in ballot and then giving money to an elderly woman was also included in Bartibogue’s appeal notice. The video was later uploaded to YouTube.com.
However, Bartibogue said he was disappointed the federal government chose not to set aside the May 2010 election and call an accelerated election.
“When they were caught on video filling out the ballots themselves, it directly involved other band council members,” Bartibogue said. “Because the ballots were tampered with, their numbers should be invalid also,” he added.
Bartibogue said he was glad the chief and councillors who were removed from office are also barred from running for office in the next election. However, he said Aboriginal Affairs should have given them a much longer penalty.
“When you compare to other First Nations, other reserves in other provinces, even without the video evidence that we had, in these other provinces, these other chiefs and councillors were banned from re-offering for much longer terms,” he said.
“It’s almost like a slap on the wrist that they’re giving the chief,” Bartibogue said.
Off-Reserve band members received money for votes
A portion of the department’s March 2011 investigation report obtained by RadioGoogoo.ca contains two sworn statements by band members claiming they received money from Wilbur Dedam, his wife, Irene and Jason Barnaby in exchange for votes.
In a sworn statement dated June 4, 2010, a band member who lived off-reserve at the time said he was driven to a relative’s home by Jason Barnaby where he was met by Dedam and his wife. While there, Dedam told him to sign a voter declaration form and then instructed him to vote for him as chief and a group of councillors, including Jason Barnaby.
After filling out the mail-in ballot as instructed, the band member claimed he received $260 by Wilbur Dedam’s wife, Irene Dedam.
In the other sworn statement dated May 15, 2010, another band member living off-reserve claimed she was also met by band councillor and candidate Jason Barnaby who presented her with a mail-in election ballot. She claimed Barnaby directed her to sign the voter declaration form and then filled out her ballot on her behalf. Barnaby then gave her $260.
In an email sent Wednesday, the department of Aboriginal Affairs confirmed the RCMP is conducting its own investigation into allegations of vote-buying during the May 2010 election.
Business as usual for band
Alex Dedam, financial comptroller and spokesman for Esgenoopetitj First Nation, said the remaining nine councillors still have yet to meet to discuss their options.
“We’re not sure at this stage in point whether we’re going to call a by-election to fill the positions or let it ride until the next First Nation’s election in May,” Dedam said in a phone interview Wednesday.
“Some community members are looking for a re-election but (some councillors see) it as ‘Hey look, we can spend $15,000 on other things rather than another election’,” he said.
Dedam explained the removal of the chief and three councillors will not affect the current programs and services managed by the band.
“For chief and council, it’s not business as usual for them because they don’t have a leader to call meetings,” Dedam said. “They don’t have a leader to attend all chiefs meetings,” he said.
Dedam explained their former chief had represented the community during negotiation meetings with the New Brunswick government regarding Aboriginal and Treaty rights.
He said the Department of Aboriginal Affairs will be meeting with the remaining nine councillors to go over their options until the next election in May 2012.
