The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs is an organization of First Nations leaders in Manitoba, Canada. The previous Grand Chief was Ron Evans of the Norway House Cree Nation. The current Grand Chief is Derek Nepinak of Pine Creek First Nation.
Former Grand Chiefs include Rod Bushie, who was elected in August 1997 and served until 2000.
History
The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs was previously known as the Manitoba Indian Brotherhood. The Manitoba Indian Brotherhood presented their landmark position paper entitled, "Wahbung: Our Tomorrows"—in opposition to then-Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau's 1969 White Paper which proposed the abolition of the Indian Act. The federal government at the time argued that the Indian Act was discriminatory and that the special legal relationship between Aboriginal peoples and the Canadian state should be dismantled in favour of equality, in accordance with Trudeau's vision of a "just society." The federal government proposed that by eliminating "Indian" as a distinct legal status, the resulting equality among all Canadians would help resolve the problems faced by Aboriginal peoples. After opposition from many Aboriginal leaders—including the MIB—the white paper was abandoned in 1970.