Sapotaweyak Cree Nation Adopts Custom Election Code

Summary#

The federal government has removed the automatic use of the Indian Act election rules for the Sapotaweyak Cree Nation. The change, set out in the Order Amending the Indian Bands Council Elections Order (Sapotaweyak Cree Nation) (SOR/2025-6), takes effect on the day it was registered (January 27, 2025), and the First Nation’s first election under its own rules is fixed for April 29, 2025.

What it does#

• Ends the application of the federal Indian Act election regime to the Sapotaweyak Cree Nation.
• Confirms that future elections for chief and councillors will follow the Nation’s own community election code (its custom rules).
• Sets the date of the first election under the custom code to April 29, 2025.
• Shifts responsibility for running elections, handling appeals, and resolving election disputes to the Sapotaweyak Cree Nation rather than the federal government.
• Records that the change was made at the request of the Nation’s council and after a local ratification vote.

Who's affected#

• Members of the Sapotaweyak Cree Nation — voters, candidates, elders, youth and community organizations will be the most directly affected.
• The Minister of Indigenous Services and Indigenous Services Canada will no longer run or oversee these elections; their role is limited to recording results.
• Courts or other local dispute-resolution bodies may become involved if there are election challenges, since the federal government will not adjudicate community election disputes.

Why it matters#

• The change gives the Sapotaweyak Cree Nation control over how it chooses leaders, which the federal government and the Nation say supports local self-determination and traditional governance.
• Local election rules can be designed to fit community needs — for example, to improve accessibility or include different voices — but they also mean the community must run and enforce the whole process itself.
• The Nation held a ratification vote that closed on November 18, 2024; 211 electors voted, with 158 in favour and 53 opposed, showing local support for the move.
• From now on, disputes about elections will be resolved under the Nation’s custom code or in court, not by federal officials.