Do you think Aboriginal people should vote in provincial elections?

Interviews and Photos

By Pamela Sexsmith

?Yes, it is important to vote in provincial elections. I don?t think it undermines treaties. It is important to get involved in provincial politics because we need to work with all levels of government, provincial and federal. We need to work with government, but at the same time, don?t stray too much from treaties. The relationship should be based on treaties.

Onion Lake straddles the Alberta/Saskatchewan border. We have mostly been involved in Saskatchewan politics. We are in a pretty unique situation now, in that we can start to utilize resources from both provinces.

The treaties are slowly coming back to life. They have been lying dormant or being suppressed too much. The chiefs are starting to revive and restore what we do have left. The leadership is becoming more knowledgeable and educated. I am a pipe holder for our community and I understand the spirit and intent of the treaties. During the provincial elections, I spoke on our local radio station and stressed the importance of voting during the last provincial election and I believe I made some impact. We had a pretty good turnout, not as many as I would like to see, but definitely some extra voters we had not seen before.?

?Chief Henry Lewis

Onion Lake First Nation

?Yes, I do think it is important for Aboriginal people to vote in provincial elections. I feel that if you don?t vote, you don?t have any reason to complain, because you didn?t take part in the election. It is important to teach the young people that they have a voice and an opinion and that their opinion is very important. The voting for the provincial elections is usually done in our comuniplex so it is readily accessible for anyone who wants to vote.?

?Irene Carter

Onion Lake First Nation

?No. Speaking for myself, I don?t believe that Treaty Indians should vote in provincial elections. We are federally funded in all of our programs. We have trouble getting any provincial help from the provincial governments, or funding, especially in education. We go through a lot of red tape when we ask for provincial grants. We are always told to go for the federal funds that are available. We don?t get any additional funds from the provinces to do things to improve our community or help our youth.

Saskatchewan has mandatory drivers? education for the whole province, but we don?t get provincial funding for that. Even through we go by the Saskatchewan curriculum, we don?t get a penny. Our students lose out. Some of our Grade 12s don?t get their driver?s by the time they graduate.

Our new highway improvement is another good example. Our chief had been after the Alberta and Saskatchewan provinces to help improve our main road into the reserve, for many, many years. There was a strong disagreement between the provinces about who owned that road. That?s why it took so long.?

?Brian MacDonald

Onion Lake First Nation

?Yes, I believe that Aboriginal people should vote provincially as well as locally. It needs to start at a local level because people need to feel comfortable, and once they have learned to vote at a grassroots level, they will feel more confident voting at the provincial level. Many Native people and Metis people live off reserve, with our numbers getting higher every year. With the higher population growth, we can make a difference. I think that it is very important for Native women to vote. There are so many political issues that affect women, but many are too shy to vote. The Elders are saying it is important to vote because we can make a difference.

?Sandra Opikikew

Lloydminster, Sask.

?Yes. I believe that Aboriginal people should vote in the provincial elections. The voice of First Nations people needs to be heard on both provincial and federal levels in education, health and politics. They need to take a united stand. Since there is such a growth in population in Saskatchewan, they need to see how much power t could generate if they united politically and grabbed the bull by the horns.?

?Leon Whitstone

Onion Lake first Nation

?As Aboriginal people, we should be voting in provincial elections. It is very important to not forget the treaty rights, and to realize that in voting in a provincial election, we are not infringing upon treaty rights. We are represented, one way or another, on all provincial levels whether you are First Nation or non-Aboriginal Canadian. We all have the right to vote and have political representation in all areas. It is definitely important to encourage youth in their awareness. They need to be taught the issues, learn how to get out there and take a stand. It is important, more so now than ever, because we are having provincial involvement in Indian Affairs, like the tripartite agreements that are being signed with the federal government and the province. Youth need to be made aware of issues like taxation and provincial politics at a high school level.?

Philip Chief

Onion Lake First Nation