Longtime Grand Chief Herb Norwegian not on ballot for Dehcho election

The man who has led the DehchoFirst Nations for the last six years wants to run for re-election, but just days before the vote forgrand chief, he is not on the ballot.

Delegates in the Dehcho annual assembly are scheduled to vote in a grand chief for the next three years on Tuesday in Wrigley, N.W.T. Nominations closed on Monday.

On Friday, Richard Lafferty, chair of the election committee, said there are two confirmed candidates:Gladys Norwegian and Arnold Hope. Asked if the current grand chief, Herb Norwegian, wanted to run, Lafferty responded, "no comment."

In an interview shortly after,Norwegian said he is not on the ballot because a criminal records check he and all candidates are required to undergo has not been completed.

Norwegian said he and the other two candidates"literally did it the same day."

"I was one of the last guys to get mine done. The RCMP said, 'Well it will take us a few days to do it.' This was done yesterday [Thursday] and they said we won't be able to do it until Monday."

Assault conviction

Norwegian was first elected grand chief in 2003. Hewas re-elected in 2006. He was then ousted from the position in 2008 after pleading guilty to assaulting a woman. He was elected grand chief again in 2012 and acclaimed in 2015.

Under currentDehchoFirst Nations electionrules, anyone convicted of a violent or indictable offence within the last five years is not eligible to run for grand chief.

"The elections committee still hasn't told me what the end result was. I had to find out through third-hand information that my name has been removed from the ballot," said Norwegian.

Under its election rules, if the incumbent grand chief plans to run for re-election, he must give up his job for a month before the election and an acting grand chief is appointed. Jean Marie River Chief StanleySanguezis the current acting grand chief.

"The acting grand chief is gone. No one can get hold of him. He's nowhere to be seen," said Norwegian.

He said delegates at next week's assembly will have the final say on who can run.

"That's where I would want to go and talk to the assembly and ask for an appeal. It's not my fault this is happening. It's a bureaucratic issue I'm dealing with."

Norwegian says he may have his criminal records check in hand by that time.