Bellegarde to run for national chief of the Assembly of First Nations

A Saskatchewan aboriginal leader says he will run for leadership of the Assembly of First Nations in December.

Chief Perry Bellegarde of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations says the assembly is at a pivotal point and he wants to see the recognition of treaty rights.

Shawn Atleo abruptly resigned as national chief in May amid criticism for his support of the federal government's proposed education reforms.

The leadership election is slated to take place Dec. 9 to 11 in Winnipeg.

If elected, Bellegarde plans to call for an inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women and girls, and focus on the revitalization of aboriginal languages.

Bellegarde previously ran against Atleo in the assembly's 2009 election.

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  Perry Bellegarde, chief of the Little Black Bear First Nation in Saskatchewan, addresses the audience as native leaders from across Canada attend the Assembly of First Nations' 35th annual general meeting in Halifax on Thursday, July 17, 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan