Skip to content

LFN election finally called

The Liard First Nation will hold an election April 10, four months after it was supposed to.

The Liard First Nation will hold an election April 10, four months after it was supposed to.

On Feb. 28 the LFN election committee announced it had appointed former NDP MLA Lois Moorcroft as the chief returning officer.

The election committee says it will publish a notice of election March 10, triggering the 31-day election period.

Candidates for the election have until March 20 at 4 p.m. to submit their nomination papers.

LFN was supposed to have an election by Dec. 15, 2016. A number of LFN citizens blamed current chief Daniel Morris for missing the deadlines to set up an election committee. They even held a community meeting that nominated an independent election committee but the federal department of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) refused to recognize its legitimacy.

Ultimately LFN citizens took the First Nation and Morris to court. That sped things up, with a special community held Feb. 4 that created the election committee.

The question of funding remains unclear, with LFN claiming it doesn’t have election money and INAC saying it told LFN long ago that $25,000 had been set aside for the election.

Morris’ most vocal opponent, George Morgan, announced last year he would run for chief. He lost to Morris in the 2013 election by a few votes.

LFN citizens will elect a chief, a deputy chief, four Yukon councillors and two B.C. councillors.

The polling stations will be open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. April 10 in Watson Lake, Lower Post, B.C., and Whitehorse. Advance polls will take place April 3, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.