The race for Cree Grand Chief wasn’t the only political contest that produced a razor-thin result. In Waswanapi, Robert Kitchen beat Alfred Jolly for Band Council chief by a mere six votes.
“I’ll take it-a win’s a win,” said Kitchen. “I’m officially calling myself chief.” Kitchen took 253 votes to 247 for Jolly. It was the second time Jolly lost a race for chief by a narrow margin; he missed by nine votes last time.
Kitchen says there are many issues he will concentrate on as chief. “Housing is a big one,” he said. “Forestry is a big issue in Waswanipi. There still has to be a forestry agreement settled. Either we go to court or settle. It’s one of my priorities. We’ve been working on this for 30 years. We have to handle it in a way that the trappers and the people as a whole will benefit. I want to work with the youth, too, by creating training opportunities.” The official swearing-in will take place Sept. 10.
Kitchen says becoming chief was a matter of destiny. “When I first moved back here from Matagami, people saw me as a leader and gave me many opportunities to lead -school committees, corporations, even local teams, and getting involved at regional level. It’s the people that prepared me.”
