RoseAnne Archibald elected first woman national chief of Assembly of First Nations
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RoseAnne Archibald this week was elected the new national chief of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), CBC reports.
Why it matters: Archibald is the first woman elected to the role. The AFN represents 634 First Nations with 900,000 members.
The big picture: Five rounds of voting spanned two days before Archibald was elected, beating out Reginald Bellerose, chief of Muskowekwan First Nation in Saskatchewan, in the fifth ballot.
- Archibald was previously the Ontario regional chief, and also the first woman to hold that role.
- She was also the first woman and youngest chief elected for Taykwa Tagamou Nation (TTN) in 1990 at age 23, and the first woman and youngest deputy grand chief for Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN).
What she's saying: "Today is a victory and you can tell all the women in your life that the glass ceiling has been broken. I thank all of the women who punched that ceiling before me and made a crack," Archibald said prior to reading the AFN's oath of office, per CBC.
- "Chiefs, whether you voted for me or not, I have listened and I have learned from you. While there are differences that divide us, there is much that we share," Archibald said.
