Reg Bellerose

Chiefs, Proxies and Friends. When you head to the polls today, I ask you for your vote.

I look forward to seeing everyone at tonight's event, with Pappy Johns Band Nathan Apodaca and Armond Duck Chief Music!

I’d just like to welcome all the leadership and delegates to the AFN Special Chiefs Assembly & National Chief Election.

Team Bellerose is assembled at the Westin Ottawa floor 4, Governor General II. Be sure to stop in, say hi and grab a t-shirt.

Please visit our website at

Reginald Bellerose 2023 Campaign After 8 years as Chair of the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority and 17 consecutive years as Chief of Muskowekwan First Nation, Reginald Bellerose is running for National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations. Guided by his elders and inspired by our c

Team Bellerose is in the Governor General || room at the Westin Hotel. I welcome you to stop in, say hi, and grab one of my campaign shirts while they last!

Join me for a fun evening at The Westin in Ottawa on Tuesday, December 5. Everyone is welcome to attend, please consider fitting this event into your entertainment plans. I hope to see you there!

“Unfinished business” is one reason why Reginald Bellerose decided to take another run at the position of national chief for the Assembly of First Nations, having conceded following the fifth ballot in 2021 to RoseAnne Archibald.

“These are tough roles, right? So there’s a spiritual process you need to take because … it all comes down to the individual. You need to be in a good spot in your own life. You need to be healthy. You know that spiritual health, all the health factors,” he said.

Bellerose believes his strongest asset for the position comes through his voice.

He says some chiefs are successful on their own, able to access help and the resources they need by themselves. He won’t stand in their way and, if he can, he’ll clear the way for them.

And for the chiefs who don’t feel their voices are being heard federally or provincially and who reach out to him for help, he’ll do just that.

“Someone’s got to get in there and say ‘these are the first leaders of the country. No one else has their inherent rights. You need to listen to them’,” Bellerose said.

“That’s really my strength. All of my time in leadership has been my voice. I’ve been able to get to the right table and let people know what we’re dealing with.”

Children, youth a priority
Bellerose, former chief of the Muskowekwan First Nation in Saskatchewan, announced his nomination only the day before deadline.

He stood with children at his announcement.

“I put them as a priority and there’s obviously a lot of priorities in the country, but the children and youth, they need the best Mother Earth that we can leave them. They need the best education, the best health. They should not be given less, something that’s substandard,” said Bellerose.

It is because of that commitment to children that Bellerose believes it’s so important to get the AFN back on track. The last two-and-a-half years of tension among AFN leaders and staff culminated in Archibald being ousted over allegations of harassment of staff and breaching the AFN whistleblower policy. It was a very public battle that at times pit community chiefs against the AFN executive.

Bellerose says the “key solution” to handling the turmoil surrounding AFN is to bring the chiefs back into assembly.

He points to the last two major votes that were held at the AFN and the decreased participation numbers. In the 2021 election, only about 55 per cent of the chiefs voted. In June 2023, when Archibald was ousted, only about one-third of chiefs participated.

“We need the chiefs to come back. They are the ones that need to come and support the vision of the successful leader here in 2023 and start to unite,” Bellerose said.

He understands that chiefs have concerns and challenges at home “but we also need you to come here and support the organization because we’re only as strong as the number of chiefs who show up.”

National campaign for connection
Bellerose hopes that by going across country on his campaign for national chief that he’ll be able to connect with the chiefs and their communities, remind them he’s supported them in the past, and that AFN can be a relevant organization once more.

“One chief standing alone facing their challenges, it’s a difficult place to stand. But, all of a sudden, you get chiefs standing with you … you’re stronger in numbers and it feels a lot better when you go out there and you think, ‘Geez, this is a tough challenge I’m dealing with’ and chiefs stand with you. You go back to your people and you say, ‘Yeah, chiefs are there for us.’ We’re there for each other. It’s a good feeling,” he said.

Further support for chiefs, he believes, will come through structural changes at the AFN, something that has been in the works for the past two decades.

Bellerose says he will be implementing the recommendations from a panel that has examined discrimination in the workplace.

Resolution 13, Becoming A Role Model in Ending Sexual Orientation and Gender-Based Discrimination Within the Assembly of First Nations, was passed in the December 2020 special chiefs assembly. This past July, a panel appointed by the AFN, delivered its findings on the sexualized violence and harassment that operates within the organization. Chiefs were told that such behaviour is prevalent.

The Prime Minister ‘should be listening’
Another change high on his priority list is having chiefs get more time with politicians. Gone will be the days when federal politicians attend AFN assemblies, deliver their speeches and leave time to answer only one or two questions.

“The Prime Minister should be sitting there listening to the chiefs. I’m not interested in selfies with Trudeau, with any prime minister. We need housing. We need employment. We need greater investments in community safety. We need investments in health and wellness. That’s what I’m interested in advancing. Not selfies,” he said.

Every resolution passed is direction to the AFN, he said, and it’s his role to open the doors to government officials to set up the meetings for First Nations.

Bellerose wants to open doors to chiefs in Alberta, as well and engage in dialogue with them. Alberta has been without an AFN regional chief since 2021 and many Treaty 8 nations in the province don’t want to be involved with the organization.

“It all comes down to leadership and as best as you can go meet them and explain what your vision is. I think if we look at the … many common factors, I think the commonalities will far outweigh the differences that we have,” he said.

The next national chief may have to deal with a possible change of government with a federal election slated for no later than 2025. An election may remove the federal Liberals from power and result in a Conservative government with leader Pierre Poilievre at the helm.

Nothing changes when it comes to the nation-to-nation relationship between First Nations and Canada, regardless of who the government is, says Bellerose.

Legal political obligations to First Nations in Canada exist no matter who is power, he adds.

“Each party, obviously, has different platforms when it comes to dealing with First Nations, but we need to get in front of all of the parties and say, ‘You need to make this a top priority for your party.’ Reconciliation is not just up to the department. Meaningful reconciliation is the responsibility of the Crown in right of Canada,” said Bellerose.

However, he adds, the ability of the AFN to advocate for First Nations’ needs are higher when resolutions are passed by 500 chiefs instead of only 200.

“For the next federal election, the AFN needs to be working with all party leaders and saying, ‘If you’re successful, you need to make time for our chiefs’,” said Bellerose.

Gaming revenue provides benefits
As for platform priorities, Bellerose, who is the current chair of the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority, sets gaming revenue as a priority.

“We look at the seven generations of wealth. We’re always looking forward to the future,” he said, and gaming revenue would provide benefits for all First Nations.

He points to Saskatchewan’s success story when it comes to a First Nation gaming model, with British Columbia and Ontario also sharing gaming revenue with First Nations.

Climate change and environmental sovereignty are also a “big focus.” With fires and floods, “nations need more control over the emergency management under rights and jurisdiction,” said Bellerose.

Lands and resources are part of environmental sovereignty, he adds, and work needs to be done to respond to the infringement on inherent rights and jurisdiction.

As for the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, Bellerose says “it’s now about the action plan.”

Visit my official campaign website for my recent Q&A about my platform and vision:

Q&A The Assembly of First Nations was created out of a desire among First Nations leadership for a strong and effective collective advocacy organization . From this, values such as respect for human...

I was first elected as Chief of Muskowekwan First Nation in 2005. The greatest teachings I have learnt are from the people.

Our Treaty teachings can’t sit on the shelves and collect dust. They need to be utilized. They need to be read. They need to be shared.

The Creator has blessed me with the strength to remain alcohol-free and on the Red Road. This year marks my 34th year of abstaining from alcohol. I give thanks.

In two weeks, we will gather in Ottawa to determine who will be the next National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations. Let’s work together to secure a brighter future for the generations to come. Chiefs, on December 6 I ask for your vote.

To learn about my platform visit: www.bellerose2023.com

Reginald Bellerose 2023 Campaign After 8 years as Chair of the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority and 17 consecutive years as Chief of Muskowekwan First Nation, Reginald Bellerose is running for National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations. Guided by his elders and inspired by our c

I have been on the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority board for 16 years, and chairperson for the last 8 years. SIGA has accumulated over $1.2 billion, as a result, it has supported First Nations community development across Saskatchewan. If elected as National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, I will work to create a national gaming strategy for self-determination to ensure all regions benefit from gaming revenue sharing.

I am proud of my accomplishments with the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority(SIGA). It was an honour to have my efforts recognized with this Headdress in 2021. I played a pivotal role on the negotiating team to ensure First Nations received revenue during the COVID-19 closures.

I am honoured to have received this Headdress in 2018 in recognition of my 9 years of work for the Treaty 4 Alliance.

At one point, we had 15 Nations working together to exercise our Treaty right to education. We worked hard to ensure that our kids were able to stay in the band-run schools where they belong, versus in the provincial system.

Our people are being charged, fined, and jailed for protecting their lands. How many more years are we going to allow this?

Lest we forget - today, I paid my respects at the Tomb of the Unkown Soldier. We remember and honour those who served our country. Their stories are an integral part of our history. Miigwech for your service.

To learn more about all of my campaign priorities visit www.bellerose2023.com

Mark it in your calendars! I look forward to hosting Chiefs, and friends from across the country on December 5 in Ottawa.

More details to come leading up to the event, I hope to see you there.

Reginald Bellerose 2023 Campaign After 8 years as Chair of the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority and 17 consecutive years as Chief of Muskowekwan First Nation, Reginald Bellerose is running for National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations. Guided by his elders and inspired by our c

We need to shift the focus of rights and jurisdiction back to First Nations. I am committed to working for the Chiefs to ensure their voices are heard at the federal level.

To learn more about my Nation-to-Nation vision visit www.bellerose2023.com

I am committed to addressing a wide range of matters, my platform is focused on building in areas of 7 Generations of Wealth, Nation-to-Nation relations, Moving Issues Forward, and Community Wellness. Good governance is leadership that creates positive impacts for First Nation people, whether in areas of health and wellness, economic self-determination, environmental sovereignty, or climate change. To learn more about my platform visit https://www.bellerose2023.com/

It was great catching up with my dear friend and colleague, former AFN National Chief Phil Fontaine. We had a discussion on Indian Residential School and the rise of denialism.

Muskowekwan leadership refused to sign the knock down agreement for the residential school. It is now the last standing school in Saskatchewan. It was designated a National Historic Site in 2021 by the Government of Canada.

This was important to our leadership at that time in order to teach Canadians the true colonial history our people have suffered at these schools.

National Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line. 1866-925-4419

We’re at the National Gathering of Elders 2023 in Edmonton. It’s so nice to see our Elders here celebrating our culture, languages and traditions.