AMC elects new grand chief in first round of voting

The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs has elected Kyra Wilson to be its next grand chief. Taylor Brock reports.

Kyra Wilson has been elected grand chief for the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs.

The advocacy group representing 63 communities hosted a byelection in Winnipeg on Wednesday to fill the role.

Wilson, speaking to reporters, said one of her top priorities as grand chief will be to bring resources and opportunities into First Nations.

“We do need a lot of support in our First Nations communities,” she said. “I know that it has been a discussion for quite some time now that we need more supports in our communities regarding mental health, addictions.”

She said there are many issues that impact mental health – including housing, infrastructure, and clean drinking water.

“Everything is tied together, and to ensure that our communities flourish, we need to make sure that we have the financial resources in our nations. That is something I’m going to be working on.”

Wilson won on the first ballot with 67 votes. Leroy Constant and Bava Dhillon, two northern candidates, both got 10 votes, while Glenn Hudson, former chief of Peguis First Nation, had four votes.

Wilson, the former chief of Long Plain First Nation in southern Manitoba, played a central role in calls to search a Winnipeg-area landfill for the remains of two slain First Nations women.

She now takes over the post left vacant by the sudden death of former Grand Chief Cathy Merrick, who passed in September.

“I had a really great connection with our late grand chief,” Wilson said, noting she worked with Merrick during her time as chief in Long Plain advocating for a landfill search. “She was a strong leader, and I want to be able to honour that legacy that she left behind at the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs.”

Wilson said while she wants to honour and continue Merrick’s work, she said she has also been given a vision and directive from AMC leadership.

“They have shared with me many issues that need to be addressed, and we will get that work done,” Wilson said.

- With files from the Canadian Press