HALIFAX – Terry Richardson, the Chief of Pabineau First Nation in northern New Brunswick, has called on fellow First Nations leaders to intervene and put a stop to the social media attacks directed at the newly appointed interim chief of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN).
Richardson made his appeal during the AFN’s annual meeting in Halifax, which took place weeks after the removal of former national chief RoseAnne Archibald. Although Archibald initially attended the meeting virtually on Tuesday, she was eventually barred from participation after urging chiefs to challenge the organization’s leadership, whom she accused of orchestrating her ousting.
In light of the transition period caused by Archibald’s removal, Joanna Bernard, a regional chief from New Brunswick, was chosen to serve as the interim national chief. Addressing the gathered leaders, Bernard emphasized that the decision to remove Archibald was made after careful consideration and not taken lightly.
Richardson specifically requested that chiefs communicate with their members and work towards halting the online attacks aimed at Bernard. While he did not provide specific details about the nature of the comments, he characterized them as disrespectful and unacceptable.