Carmichael to step down as Gwich'in president

After eight years on the job, Fred Carmichael says he is stepping down as president of the Gwich'in Tribal Council in the Northwest Territories.

In an interview Friday with CBC Radio, Carmichael said he has enjoyed representing the Gwich'in people of the territory's Mackenzie Delta, but it's time to move on.

Carmichael said he has learned a lot since he was elected council president in 2000.

"You learn that in order to really accomplish what you're setting out to do, that you need to work with people; you have to be able to bring people together," he said.

"To work with people, you have to listen to them and work with them. I think that's the most important thing that I learned."

Carmichael remains chairman of the Aboriginal Pipeline Group, which holds a one-third stake in the proposed Mackenzie Valley natural gas pipeline. He was appointed to that role in 2002.

Members of the Gwich'in Tribal Council will vote for a new president on June 16. Four candidates are currently in the running for the job.