SCO Grand Chief facing another attempt to remove him from office

Members of the Southern Chiefs’ Organization (SCO), which represents 33 Anishinaabe and Dakota Nations in Manitoba, are making another attempt to remove their grand chief. Jerry Daniels, head of the SCO, has had his leadership called into question previously, and has faced two prior non-confidence votes. Those came shortly after a fight involving the grand chief outside of a bar in Ottawa in December 2024, on the eve of an Assembly of First Nations gathering. This time around, one of Daniels’s former allies is seeking a vote to remove him from office. Lake Manitoba First Nation chief Cornell McLean brought forward the motion on August 17, 2026. It was seconded by Bloodvein First Nation Chief Lisa Young. McLean previously acted as grand chief of the SCO while Daniels stepped away for treatment after revealing he had “challenges with alcohol.” The resolution brought forward by McLean requests a Special Chiefs-In-Summit be convened with the sole purpose “to consider the removal of Grand Chief Jerry Daniels.” It claims, “Chiefs have raised numerous concerns regarding governance, leadership, accountability, transparency, organization decision-making and the confidence of member Nations in the current leadership of the Organization.” SCO responded to Chief McLean’s request for a special summit on August 25, and recommended that the request be “raised at an ordinary summit first, so the Chiefs-in-Summit can consider whether a special summit should be called in a manner consistent with the SCO Constitution.” The response, attributed to the SCO Chiefs Executive Committee, contends “the Constitution is clear about the election and term of the Grand Chief of the SCO. Votes are cast for a three-year-term. This is what occurred on June 25, 2024,” when 34 Chiefs and delegates voted Daniels back in until 2027. “The average financial cost of a two-day summit,” the response notes, “is approximately $115,000.” “For these reasons, we recommend that the request for a special summit be brought forward at an ordinary summit in the first instance,” the response concludes. SCO is currently redeveloping the former Hudson’s Bay store in downtown Winnipeg. In March 2025, SCO revealed the cost of the redevelopment had ballooned to $310-milliion — up from $130 million when the deal was first announced in 2022. APTN News reached out to SCO for an interview with Daniels but were told he is unavailable. Continue Reading