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Indigenous people and organizations are stepping up to promote voting in the upcoming federal election.
LeeAnne Klyne held a workshop for the young adults to learn how to cast their votes for the first time. She helped them register and showed them where their polling stations were located.
She works for Touchwood Child and Family Services, which provides child and family services to six Saskatchewan First Nations, as a trainer for youth who have aged out of the system.
She said she didn’t used to vote, but started doing so last election after seeing how Indigenous communities could be impacted negatively by federal policies.
“I voted because I felt like we needed to see a change within our community, our First Nations community most specifically,” she said.
“This time around, I’ve been really encouraging my family, like, you guys really need to get out and cast your votes, listen to the news, listen to what’s happening in our country. Something obviously needs to change, because when you just walk outside, there’s so much struggle happening.”
She said people should do their own research and choose the party that best aligns with what they want for their community and for Canada.
“This is our right to go and vote, and we need to start utilizing it as First Nations people,” Klyne said. “Our ancestors went to war and our people were never able to vote until 1960, which is not that long ago.”
‘We’re all experiencing a really tough time’
Paige Manns, a Métis student at the University of Regina, plans to vote in this federal election. She said it is important for Indigenous people to vote, especially federally.
“So many of our rights are dictated by the federal government, so it’s very important that we have a say in that,” she said. “I’m looking for someone who cares about Indigenous people, queer people, women and our immigrant population, because we’re all experiencing a really tough time right now.”
Brayden Benjoe, a student at First Nations University of Canada in Regina, said she is thinking about future generations with this next coming election. She specifically is focused on affordable daycare.
“I am a single parent and affordability is very important to me,” she said. “I want to be able to make sure that I am able to pay for daycare, rent, bills, and stuff like that without feeling overburdened.”
She is also concerned about treaty rights and hopes to see more support for homelessness and people with mental health issues.
AFN chief says voting is important
The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) analyzed 2021 census data and identified 36 electoral districts across Canada where Indigenous people could have swayed the last federal election had they participated more.
Meanwhile, an analysis by the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations determined that in the ridings of Desnethé-Missinippi – Churchill River, Battlefords-Lloydminster – Meadow Lake, Prince Albert, Regina Qu’Appelle and Saskatoon West, “the margin of victory in previous elections has been smaller than the potential First Nation voter bloc.”
AFN National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak said it’s important that Indigenous people vote for parties that want to work with Indigenous people, their leaders, their communities and their organizations.
“Question candidates when they come to your door about what their stance is on First Nations issues,” she said.
“I just think it’s so important that we all vote and we’re 1.5 million strong. We’re growing. We’re the fastest growing demographic in this country, and it’s important that we get out there and vote and show our strength and our force.”
Woodhouse Nepinak said it is always important to exercise the right to vote.
“I know that First Nations didn’t even have the right to vote until the 1960s, and at the same time you see First Nations [polling stations] now running out of ballots in the last two elections. That’s showing the strength that our First Nations have.”
She also said she is proud of First Nations people who are stepping up and running for office.
“I lift up First Nations people that are running and I admire them,” she said. “We’ve had an unprecedented number of First Nations people stepping up.”
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