The Court granted an application for judicial review, quashed Onion Lake Cree Nation’s decision to terminate the appointment of its Appeals Tribunal, and ordered its reconstitution to hear the Applicant’s election appeal. Onion Lake members decided to codify their customary governance laws and nothing in their written laws allows for termination of the tribunal. The decision was also subject to procedural fairness since it was specific to the outstanding election appeal; as it was made without notice, procedural fairness was breached.
Indigenous Law Centre – CaseWatch Blog
The members of Onion Lake Cree Nation [“OLCN”] passed the OLCN Convention Law [“Convention Law”] by community referendum in 2011. Amongst other things, the Convention Law empowers the OLCN Chief and Council to establish boards, commissions and committees as necessary for peace, order and good governance and to pass laws, regulations and codes. The members of OLCN passed the Onion Lake Election Law [“Election Law”] which came into effect in 2017. The Chief and Council subsequently passed the OLCN Appeals Regulation [“Appeals Regulation”]. Pursuant to the Election Law, an appeals tribunal [“Appeals Tribunal”] was appointed in advance of the upcoming Election.
This is an application for judicial review of a decision by the OLCN Chief and Council terminating the appointment of the Appeals Tribunal prior to the completion of its consideration and determination of an appeal of the 2018 OLCN [“Election”]. The Applicant, Florence Blois was an incumbent but unsuccessful candidate for councillor in the Election. The Applicant submitted to the Appeals Tribunal setting out various allegations. The Appeals Tribunal decided to accept the Applicant’s appeal but there were apparently concerns with the conduct of the appeal. The Applicant submits to this Court that the OLCN Chief and Council did not have the jurisdiction or authority to terminate her appeal.
By way of the Convention Law, the members of the OLCN chose to codify into writing the rules for establishing, empowering and regulating their institutions of government. OLCN effected a government (or executive) branch, the elected Chief and Council; the Elders Council to provide spiritual guidance; and a Judicial Assembly Commission.
Nothing in the Appeals Regulation speaks to the termination of the Appeals Tribunal prior to the completion of its term. That is, nothing in the Convention Law, Election Law or the Appeals Regulation provides authority to the Chief and Council, in any circumstance, to intervene in an appeal and dissolve the Appeals Tribunal before the Appeals Tribunal makes a decision in an appeal that is before it. If the legislative scheme suggested that the OLCN Chief and Council had the authority to disband the Appeals Tribunal before the expiry of its specified term, for any reason, and instead substitute its own finding, then this authority would have been clearly stated. This is demonstrated by the fact that the conduct of OLCN election appeals is exhaustively covered by the Election Law and Appeals Regulation.
Jurisprudence from the Federal Court of Appeal and this Court suggests that there must be clear legislative authority to remove appeal committee or council members (Johnson v Tait, 2015 FCA 247; Angus v Chipewyan Prairie First Nation, 2008 FC 932). It is clear that the Appeals Tribunal, as an independent body, holds a discreet and exclusive role in the conduct of election appeals, and the term of the appointment of that body is explicitly stated to start at appointment and not to terminate until an election appeal is decided.
The Court concludes that the OLCN Chief and Council did not have the authority to terminate the appointment of the Appeals Tribunal and, thereby, the Applicant’s appeal. Accordingly, that decision was unreasonable.