Bloodvein River First Nation’s Chief and Council Elections are now governed by the “First Nations Elections Act” (or FNEA) by Amendment to the Act on February 26, 2026, and publication of the Act on March 17, 2026.
Confirmation of this can be found on page 17 of the FNEA where “Bloodvein” is now listed as #97 under the Schedule or “Participating First Nations”.
Governance under the act would have been completed following page 2 of the FNEA or the section titled “Adding to the Schedule” where it states a First Nation can be added to the Act if a “First Nation’s council has provided to the Minister a resolution requesting that the First Nation be added to the schedule”.
Bloodvein River First Nation’s first Chief and Council Election under the FNEA is scheduled for August 31, 2026 as per Amendment SOR/2026-36 on page 29 of the FNEA.
Chief and Council Elections in First Nations across Canada are typically governed by election provisions under the Indian Act, community-designed or custom election codes, and rarer – a self-government constitutional agreement.
As of March 17, 2026, 31.7% of Manitoba First Nations are under the FNEA, with 62.5% of Southeast First Nations under the FNEA. Manitoba First Nations participating include: Bunibonibee, Wuskwi Sipihk, Skownan, Pine Creek, Waywayseecappo, Birdtail Sioux, Black River, Lake St. Martin, Dakota Tipi, Peguis, Keeseekoowenin, Roseau River, Berens River, Hollow Water, Lake Manitoba, Poplar River, Ebb and Flow, Pinaymootang, Kinonjeoshtegon, and Bloodvein.
The First Nations Elections Act was created, in part, from recommendations from the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs. The Act sought to improve the quality of elections, compared to those under the election provisions under the Indian Act – or more specifically, address the following:
- Two-year term for councils being too short when compared to other elected officials in Federal, Provincial, and Municipal offices
- Process for the nomination of candidates not clear enough
- Mail-in-ballot system too prone to abuse
- Inefficient elections appeals system and
- No clear or defined offences and penalties for those that commit offences.
Important Information found within the First Nations Elections Act:
- To make a nomination or to accept a nomination, the person must be registered under the band list and be 18 years of age or older
- The date of the first election under the Act must happen before the expiry of the current councils’ term – page 3
- All future elections must take place 30 days before the expiry of that councils’ term – page 4
- The Act outlines that participating First Nations may have between 2 and 12 Councillor positions, governed by council resolution – page 4
- Only those on the band list and those 18 years of age or older are eligible to be nominated as a Chief or Councillor – page 4
- In any election, a person can only accept a nomination for Chief, or Councillor, not both – page 4
- An eligible person can only become finalized as a candidate if the nomination is made, seconded, consented to by the person nominated, and if the imposed fee has been paid – page 4
- All eligible people are only allowed to make one Chief nomination and one Councillor nomination, no more than one per category – page 5
- If authorized via regulation, a candidacy fee of no more than $250.00 can be imposed – meaning each candidate would need to pay the identified fee (if confirmed) in order to become finalized as a candidate – page 5
- Leading up to and during the nomination meeting, all people are prohibited from doing the following:
- intimidating or attempting to force another person to act against their own will – influencing another person to nominate or withhold nominating a particular person, accepting or declining a nomination or withdrawing as a candidate
- disrupting or encouraging others to disrupt the nomination meeting through disorderly conduct
- knowingly publishing false statements that a candidate is withdrawing or has withdrawn their candidacy
- the Electoral Officer reserves the right to order a person to leave the nomination meeting if they are found guilty of committing any of the offences above – page 5
- When it comes to ballots, a person is not allowed to:
- provide a false name in order to receive a ballot
- obtain or possess a ballot that was not issued to them
- purchase a ballot that was issued to another person
- sell or give away a mail-in-ballot or
- print or reproduce a ballot for the purpose of voting – unless authorized to do so by order of a regulation – page 6
- Only registered members of Bloodvein and those who are 18 years of age or older are entitled to vote in Bloodvein elections – page 6
- When it comes to voting, a person is not allowed to:
- vote or attempt to vote if they are not entitled to vote
- attempt to influence another person to vote knowing that person is not entitled to vote
- knowingly use a forged ballot
- put a ballot into a ballot box if not authorized to do so
- attempt through intimidation or coercion – or by offering money, goods, employment or other offers of value – to influence another person to vote or not vote – including to vote or not vote for particular candidates – page 6
- show their ballot and the candidate(s) they have marked
- openly declare who they are voting for while at the polling station – page 7
- At the polling station(s), a person is not allowed to:
- post up or display any kind of campaign literature or any material that promotes or opposes the election of a particular candidate – this applies within the polling station itself or on the exterior of the polling station
- orally promote or oppose the election of a candidate within hearing distance of the polling station(s)
- attempt to influence someone who is voting to vote or not vote for a particular person while inside the polling station(s)
- disrupting or encouraging others to disrupt the voting process at the polling station(s) through disorderly conduct
- the Electoral Officer reserves the right to order a person to leave the polling station(s) if they are found guilty of committing any of the offences above. – page 7
- A person is not allowed to destroy, take, open or otherwise interfere with a ballot box knowing that they are not authorized to do so.
- A person is also not allowed to intentionally obstruct the election itself or the Electoral/Deputy Officer in the performance of their duties– page 8
- The elected Chief and Council positions go to the people who receive the highest number of votes – page 8
- if two or more candidates receive the same number of votes (tie), the Electoral Officer must conduct a draw to break the tie. – page 8
- Elected Chief and Councillors hold office for a term of four years – page 9
- A Chief or Councillor cannot hold office if:
- they are convicted and sentenced to imprisonment for more than 30 consecutive days
- they are convicted of an offence under the First Nations Elections Act
- they die or resign from office
- a court sets aside their election (contested election)
- they are removed from office via petition in accordance with the regulations – page 9
- Any eligible voter of Bloodvein River may contest the election – only on the grounds that they have in their possession, evidence of conduct that goes against anything outlined within the Act. It can only be done through application to a competent court, and the application must be filed within 30 days of the date on which election results were announced. – pages 9-10
- A person is not allowed to pay, provide goods, employment or anything else of value to another person for the purpose of getting their signature on a petition for the removal of a Chief or Councillor – a person is also not allowed to accept payment, goods, employment or anything else of value for their signature on the same kind of petition. – page 10
- The list of offences can be found on pages 10-11.
- Depending on offences that a person is convicted for, penalties can range from fines up to $5,000 and up to 5 years imprisonment. – pages 11-12
- If a person is convicted of certain offences, it can also result in the person not being eligible to be elected Chief or Councillor for five years after the date of the conviction. – page 12
If you made it this far, kitchi miigwetch! If you want to view the actual First Nations Elections Act document – please visit this link.
You also have the option of downloading the file as a PDF. If you would like a pdf-copy of the Act sent to you via email, please reach out to me below.
Miigwetch / Thank you.
Corey Bighorn
Email: corey@miskwewesibi.com
COREY BIGHORN 