The president of a Saskatchewan Indigenous group is calling for the resignation of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples’ national chief.
John Hanikenne, president of the Coalition of Indigenous Peoples of Saskatchewan, is asking for CAP’s National Chief Robert Bertrand to be removed from his position amid reports Bertrand is unable to pinpoint his Indigenous heritage.
“I don’t trust that he could talk for us. He hasn’t lived the life. If he meets with the government on our behalf, I don’t think he would ever make any changes for our people on the ground,” Hanikenne told CTV News on Friday.
Bertrand said in an interview with Aboriginal Peoples Television Network he is Metis, but he did not provide specifics.
“I’m a Metis. I have Indian blood. My ancestors were from Algonquin descent,” he said in the interview, at which point the reporter asks how far Bertrand can trace back his ancestry.
“I don’t see the relevance of it,” he responds.
Hanikenne said he believes Indigenous organizations should be run by Indigenous people. He wants the national chief to provide proof of his roots.
Bertrand said he meets the criteria to be the CAP chief and believes providing proof of his ancestry is unnecessary.
The Congress of Aboriginal Peoples — of which the Coalition of Indigenous Peoples of Saskatchewan is an affiliate — represents off-reserve status and non-status Indians, Métis and Southern Inuit Aboriginal Peoples, according to its website.
