Appearing on CBC’s Saskatoon Morning program earlier this week, MLI Senior Fellow Ken Coates called the resignation of Assembly of First Nations Shawn Atleo a missed opportunity.
Atleo pushed toward some reasonable, progressive steps during his time as chief of the AFN, Coates says, including his support of the federal government’s Aboriginal education reforms in Bill C-33. However a more incremental approach to reform did not sit well with some of the other chiefs in the AFN, which led to Atleo’s resignation last week.
Coates warns that Atleo’s resignation could lead to some of the more pragmatic chiefs disengaging from the AFN. “What we may end up seeing is the marginalization of the Assembly of First Nations”, he says.
To listen to the complete interview, click here.
