Matthew Coon Come was the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) from 2000-2003. He was the National Chief during a time of crisis for First Nations in Canada. Prime Minister Chretien introduced the First Nations Governance Act (FNGA) in June 2002. It was to be the new "Indian Act". First Nations were angered by this colonial act that was being imposed upon them without consultation, and rightfully so. First Nations have the right to self-government on ALL matters pertaining to their interests despite what Parliament tells us and mainstream society.
Matthew Coon Come vigorously resisted the imposition of the FNGA and we should all be proud of the way he defended our right to self-government. NO other "National Chief" of the AFN has done this except during the crisis of the 1969 White Paper. Kudos to Matthew Coon Come and the leaders during the 1969 White Paper crisis for you people are the REAL "elite" Aboriginal leaders who have the ability to think collectively and in the best interests of First Nations people. You fought for our rights and you did not screw us over!
People come and go for a purpose and they may stick around for a few months or a few years depending on the purpose. Matthew Coon Come was elected National Chief because he had a purpose in life: to resist the new Indian Act, the FNGA. No other Aboriginal leader at the national level had the ability to defeat the FNGA. If any other "elite" Aboriginal leader had been elected National Chief, we would all be living under the FNGA today.
The AFN had their budget cut in half during this crisis and that budget was never restored. I do know this: Matthew Coon Come was not to blame. Do not blame him because you do not know what really took place politically behind the scenes during this crisis. As far as we know, an "Apple" (brown skin but white underneath) politician may have told the Prime Minister to cut the AFN budget. Did not Nelson Mandela tell his people to be wary of the puppets who claim to speak for them? The same principle applies to First Nations. We will never know what took place behind the scenes so do not blame Matthew Coon Come.
Suffice to say: Matthew Coon Come did an excellent job during his time as National Chief and he is a real ELITE leader. He is a collectively-minded First Nations leader and a prime example of what the "National Chief" of the Assembly of First Nations should be doing in that role: defending our rights and not selling us out. He did his job and left. Unfortunately for us, the grassroots people, other "National Chiefs" did not do the same.
WHO IS WATCHING OUT FOR YOU??
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