Siksika Nation elects new chief, council

By Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean Times Contributor

Ouray Crowfoot was elected as the new chief in Siksika’s election on Nov. 27. Crowfoot, who has a Master’s degree in business administration and is a chartered professional accountant, brings a solid background of corporate and personal experience to the role.
Crowfoot spent a number of years away from Siksika gaining his education and work experience and returned when his mother fell ill.
“When I came back to Siksika, I didn’t have a plan,” Crowfoot said during the campaign, “but I already had those building blocks. I had the education, I had the work experience; and if you have those building blocks, if you have that firm foundation, you can go anywhere in the world.
“That’s what I want our youth to know,” he added. “If you’ve got that firm foundation of education and work experience, you can do anything.”
He thanked his mother for instilling in him that education was necessary.
“She told me education was the great equalizer,” he told a crowd during a campaign speech. “She also told me to ‘go out into the world with a computer in one hand, that’s your education, and a drum in the other, that’s your tradition, your culture (and) your knowledge. You’ve got to have both – it’s not one or the other.’”
Kelsey Solway, communications consultant for Siksika Nation, said that it is too early to say whether priorities will change as council is convening for the first time this week.
Focus areas that the previous leadership had prioritized were public safety, opioid response plan, the creation of a community trust and land use planning.
Councillors Rueben (Buck) Breaker, Carlin Black Rabbit and Ike Solway were re-elected to council for another three-year term.
New council members are Samuel Crowfoot, Kendall Panther Bone, Tracy McHugh, Armond Duck Chief, Leon Crane Bear, Kent Ayoungman, Wade Healy, Sue Solway and Jenny Goodin.