AFN national chief confident internal struggles are over, despite concerns about her Liberal ties

Pledges 'hands-off' approach to forensic audit her predecessor sought

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Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak says she is confident the Assembly of First Nations's troubles are behind it.

After years of upheaval involving allegations of bullying, harassment, corruption and collusion, in December Woodhouse Nepinak was elected to lead the national advocacy organization, which represents more than 600 First Nations countrywide.

Now, inside her spacious corner office at the Sun Life Financial Centre highrise in downtown Ottawa, where the assembly's operations occupy the entire second floor, what Woodhouse Nepinak pitches is simple: results.

"We have a lot of work to do in Ottawa, and I think we haven't been at every table that we should be," she said.

"We need to be there making sure that the voices of First Nations are heard."

She has spent the nearly two months since the election mostly in meetings, she said, and as if to illustrate the point, her suitcase sits tucked away in the corner as she sits down for an interview. 

It's an apt metaphor for the Anishinaabe leader's entrance into the national chief's office: along with her actual luggage, Woodhouse Nepinak has some political baggage, too.

But she isn't concerned her past work for the Liberal Party of Canada could prove a liability for the federally funded organization — which received $52.8 million in revenue last year — as a 2025 election approaches.

And she denies campaigning unofficially for the top job while helping topple her predecessor, RoseAnne Archibald, in what the deposed leader branded a "laterally violent political coup" by a government-friendly AFN faction.

Denies Archibald's allegations

As Manitoba regional chief, she participated in the removal of Archibald, who cited Woodhouse Nepinak's Liberal connections and accused her of campaigning unofficially for the job behind the scenes. Pressed for a response, Woodhouse Nepinak denies the accusation.

"Absolutely not," she said.

"We were doing our jobs. We were working. I was focused on the $40 billion for First Nations."

National chief denies campaigning for title amid predecessor's removal

The $40 billion refers to a two-part deal to reform the on-reserve child-welfare system and compensate children and families who were discriminated against from 1991 on. During her campaign, Woodhouse Nepinak credited a call she made to the prime minister with helping get the $23-billion compensation deal done. 

Her ties to the federal Liberals have sparked concern in other circles, however.

She is a single-party Liberal donor, the Elections Canada contributions registry confirms, and served as Manitoba president for the federal party's Indigenous Peoples Commission in 2014, before working on the 2015 election campaign.

Woodhouse Nepinak said she respects First Nations sovereigntists who reject the Canadian political system, but that she encourages First Nations youth to join political parties. She said she sees her job as building relationships.

To that end, she said she has met with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who has attacked institutions and individuals accusing them of Liberal loyalties.

"I look forward to working with him. I look forward to his party supporting First Nations priorities in Parliament," she said.

National chief discusses her ties to the Liberal Party

First Nations leaders have long debated whether the AFN should draw a harder line with Ottawa or adopt a more collaborative approach. Supporters tout her bridge-building experience, while critics fear her election brings the assembly closer to the federal government than ever before.

Woodhouse Nepinak has several times touted her work for past national chiefs like Perry Bellegarde, who at times came under fire for a perceived coziness with Trudeau.

• Woodhouse brings 'bridge-builder' experience to AFN, but some see Liberal ties as a liability

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She said Bellegarde, a friend and mentor, will have no role in her administration, though she will continue to look to her predecessors for guidance. 

On that note, she credits Archibald for becoming the AFN's first woman national chief and promises a "hands-off" approach to the forensic audit Archibald sought, leaving it with the chiefs committee currently tasked with the file.

'A mother's heart'

When asked why she wanted the national chief's job, Woodhouse Nepinak highlights her personal history.

She grew up on Pinaymootang First Nation in Manitoba, 240 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg. She has four brothers, she said with a laugh, so she had to learn how to get along.

She is the granddaughter of Chief Richard Woodhouse, who signed Treaty 2 with Canada in 1871, and the daughter of former Pinaymootang Chief Garnet Woodhouse.

She is a self-described "rez girl" who left the community to attend the University of Winnipeg, where she said the disparities between Canadians and First Nations became clear.

But first and foremost, she said, she's a mom with two young boys. She ran on a children's agenda and wants to bridge some of the disparities in policing, education and child and family services.

"I'm always going to lead from a mother's heart," she said.

Corrections

• A previous version of this story said Richard Woodhouse signed Treaty 1. In fact, he signed Treaty 2.Jan 30, 2024 12:51 PM ET

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Reporter

Brett Forester is a reporter with CBC Indigenous in Ottawa. He is a member of the Chippewas of Kettle and Stony Point First Nation in southern Ontario who previously worked as a journalist with the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network.