Stevenson seeks record 15th term

By Len Kruzenga

The Peguis First Nation is once again in full election mode as a March 26th voting date draws near.

Incumbent Chief Louis Stevenson-already Manitoba's longest serving first nation leader-faces a sole challenge from Glen Hudson, who also made a run for the job in 2001.
However, a face-to-face debate on the issues has not been in the cards so far, as several open meetings for off-reserve residents failed to draw the two candidates together. Instead, the challenger Hudson was left to chart his own platform-promising real accountabiulity and transparency as well as public participatrion in governanace and administration of Manitoba's largest reserve.

In the end Hudson could only field questions from the audience, usually numbering several dozen people at best, instead of asking Stevenson to justify his record while in office.
And it doesn't appear as if the two opponents will square off in a debate on the reserve either, as no public forums have been scheduled during the election.

The apparent lack of interest in the election on the reserve is perplexing to some observers, who remember the last election in which Stevenson and his political opponents openly sparred in the media.

"There's been a lot going on during the last few years. We've got a new multi-million dollar school with all sorts of rumours that money for its construction was skimmed off the top and that the Royal Bank is really running our finances and chief and council haven't been doing anything to inform the people or reassure them," said one Peguis resident, who requested anonymity.

"On the other side we've got a group of people that are saying the chief and council have been doing this this and this and yet can't seem to come up with anything substantive to back it up."

And it's the inability of Stevenson's critics to ante up with anything concrete that has prevented the canny politician from being unseated, according to former Peguis resident Diane Thomas.

"The Concerned Citizens of Peguis group had a chance to really shake things up in the beginning, but they didn't keep up the momentum. The moment their candid dates lost the election they walked away. In places like Dakota and Nelson House the people are keeping up the pressure and that's the key to change."

However other observers say that Stevenson's grip on governance and administration is so tight and pervasive that it's next to impossible to even get at the information that might hold the key to separating fact from fiction.

"The band controls it's own membership and chooses not to respond to those members seeking verification of their band membership status if they believe these members don't support them, said Assinaboine Community College student Deidre Cooke, a former resident on the reserve.

"The band doesn't provide or publish the band audits or any financial information to its members and pretty much operates in secret. Their rarely are any band meetings at all and when there are anyone who dares to speak up and question what's been going on is shouted down and subjected to intimidation."

However Cooke says opposition to Stevenson's leadership lacks any significant support among the 5,000 plus band members.

"Right now there's probably no more than 40 to 50 people who will actually get up off their seats and say something in public and even many of those people have lost their credibility now because of the actions of some of their own members."

"They underestimated Stevenson and haven't been using their heads. Mr. Hudson is going to lose this election big time because they simply haven't been able to get the people up in arms about anything."

Attempts to interview Hudson and Stevenson were unsuccessful at press time.