ManitobaA Manitoba grand chief says he has no intention of leaving his leadership, despite calls from a group of chiefs for his ouster.8 chiefs accuse Jerry Daniels of inking agreement with Métis Federation without proper consultationArturo Chang · CBC News · Posted: Aug 21, 2025 9:39 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours agoEarlier this week, a group of eight southeastern First Nation communities publicly released a motion calling for a non-confidence vote to oust Southern Chiefs’ Organization Grand Chief Jerry Daniels. (Gary Solilak/CBC)A Manitoba grand chief says he has no intention of leaving his leadership, despite calls from a group of chiefs for his ouster.Earlier this week, the Southeast Resource Development Council, which represents eight southern Manitoba First Nation communities, publicly released a motion calling for a non-confidence vote to remove Southern Chiefs’ Organization Grand Chief Jerry Daniels from his role.The group accused him of acting outside of the organization’s constitution by signing an agreement without proper consultation.Daniels said Thursday the memorandum of understanding signed last week with the Manitoba Métis Federation followed internal processes, and had approval from the Southern Chiefs’ Organization’s executive council.”The MOU draft was introduced back in June [and] shared with the executive representatives who represent those tribal councils, including Southeast [Resource Development Council],” he said.”Where it goes from there, we probably need to tighten up a few processes to make sure that we have a better communications between tribal councils and ourselves. And I think that that is the nature of the conversation that we’re going to be having.”The Southeast Resource Development Council said Monday it had no part in negotiations with the Métis Federation, and only learned about the agreement the day it was publicly announced.The five-year agreement would see Southern Chiefs’ work together with the federation on major infrastructure and development projects.WATCH | Grand chief responds to calls for his ouster:Manitoba grand chief responds to concerns about his leadershipGrand Chief Jerry Daniels has no plans to step down after the chiefs of some of the First Nations he represents called for a non-confidence vote of his leadership. The concerns stem from an agreement the Southern Chiefs’ Organization signed with the Manitoba Métis Federation to work together on major infrastructure and development projects.Peguis First Nation Chief Stan Bird — who is not part of the southeast council, but whose First Nation is one of the 32 represented by the Southern Chiefs’ Organization — said he doesn’t have an issue with the MOU itself, but questions the process behind it.”The thing I take issue with is the fact that … we shouldn’t move in the direction where we’re allowing these individual entities to make decisions for our communities,” Bird said Thursday.”Those discussions should take place before we arrive at this place. Those discussions didn’t happen.”The Southeast Resource Development Council said any agreement must be properly vetted through the SCO chiefs-in-summit or chief assembly.Brokenhead Ojibway Nation Chief Gordon Bluesky, who represents one of the communities in the development council, declined to make further comment on the matter during an unrelated event Thursday.Non-confidence vote may be discussed next monthDaniels said he’s responded to the group’s letter and that he’s working to meet directly with the eight chiefs.”Until such time that I’ve lost the confidence of the chiefs, I’ll continue to be here,” he said.This is the second time Daniels has faced a challenge to his leadership in recent months. The chief’s executive committee of the SCO held a summit on his leadership after Daniels was involved in a December 2024 altercation at an Ottawa bar.The Southeast Resource Development Council had threatened to leave SCO if the organization didn’t hold the summit before Daniels’s return from a leave of absence.The chief’s executive committee reinstated him in January, following his leave of absence.Daniels did not say whether a non-confidence vote will be held, but said it may be discussed during a chiefs-in-summit gathering in late September.”In September, I think that the chiefs will see the process that we followed that was internal. And we will be able to move forward,” he said.With files from Josh Crabb
Facing calls for removal, Southern Chiefs’ grand chief says development agreement followed internal process
