Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs pick leader to move in a different direction
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By Trevor Greyeyes
Winnipeg – Jan 29, 2025 For Kyra Wilson, it was a moment of reckoning as she was declared the winner of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs by-election at the Canad Inns Polo Park on the first ballot.
The room was a blend of generations and everyday First Nation peoples rubbing elbows with elders and former First Nation leaders eager to witness history on January 29, 2025.
The writing was on the wall on the first ballot as vote after vote was called out with “Kyra Wilson.”
She had passed 20 votes easily while her competitors languished in the single digits.
The former Chief of Long Plain First Nation had endured a turbulent political journey to get here.
Her leadership had once been called into question due to the controversy surrounding the 2023 Long Plain election, disrupted by a relentless snowstorm. That election had ultimately been annulled, leading to a by-election and the end of her tenure as Chief. It was a setback that had stung deeply, but Kyra had emerged from it stronger and more resolute.
Her three opponents were the once formidable. Glenn Hudson, once a respected leader of Peguis First Nation, carried the weight of his own controversies—his failed appeal to overturn the 2023 Peguis Chief election had cast a shadow over his candidacy.
Leroy Constant, a former York Factory First Nation Chief, and Bava Dhillon, a current Sapotaweyak Cree Nation band councillor, brought their unique experiences and perspectives to the race. Each candidate was vying for the role left vacant after the untimely passing of Grand Chief Cathy Merrick, the first woman to hold the position and a trailblazer whose legacy loomed large.
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