Cindy Woodhouse wins election for Assembly of First Nations national chief

Cindy Woodhouse was elected national chief of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) in Ottawa on Thursday, securing victory as runner-up David Pratt conceded. 

Following Pratt's announcement, Woodhouse, 40, took the stage at the Shaw Centre, where she read the assembly's oath of office and received an AFN medallion around her neck.

The new leader promised to start working immediately and tirelessly on child welfare, housing, economic development, policing and other core issues facing communities, pointing to the upcoming federal budget as a first order of business.

"Canada, you cannot forget First Nations," she said to applause.

"You take our money from our land, you have to make sure that you work with us to get that out the door to our communities."

Woodhouse, the AFN's regional chief for Manitoba, had 50.8 per cent support from 461 delegates registered to vote, while Pratt, first vice-chief for the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations in Saskatchewan, trailed with 39.3 per cent support on a sixth ballot late Wednesday night.

Under the assembly charter, a candidate must secure 60 per cent of the vote to win, with more than 630 chiefs or proxies eligible to participate. Voting was forced to an end as the convention centre was scheduled to close at midnight, amid rising frustration with the stalemate.

Voting was to resume Thursday with a seventh ballot when Pratt's concession was announced. In his speech, Pratt said the issues were too important to hold back the next national chief.

"We leave here united. We leave here behind our national chief," he said to applause.

"We're back, and the future belongs to First Nations people."

Woodhouse, from Pinaymootang First Nation in Manitoba, worked as an AFN negotiator for a $23-billion child and family services class-action settlement reached with Canada last year.

She pitched a return to stability, promoting her past experience working for national chiefs Perry Bellegarde and Shawn Atleo.

Woodhouse succeeds RoseAnne Archibald atop the largest national Indigenous advocacy organization in Canada, after the change-oriented Ontario Cree leader was ousted earlier this year, following harassment allegations and two regional chief-led revolts.

Woodhouse is no stranger to the assembly's recent turmoil, having been among the regional chiefs recommending Archibald's removal, before declaring her own candidacy for the top job. In her speech, Woodhouse offered an olive branch, thanking Archibald for smashing the glass ceiling and becoming the first woman national chief.