The FPNP want support to fulfill longstanding issues

"Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote." -George Jean Nathan
The First Peoples National Party of Canada (FPNP) is a party that is determined to take the road less traveled. They operate with a Web site that is not completely updated. They persevere with bare minimum funding. And they are determined to never waver with their beliefs and principles to the exclusion of all other big business, and party platforms. In fact, one of the only parallels they have with other parties is that they are relying on votes, and plenty of them.
It was not until 1961 that First Nations received the right to vote. After many years contemplating reasons to remain bystanders in the electoral process such as, being newcomers to the electoral system, and the firm belief that a difference could not be made, a consortium of young Chiefs mused that non-participation ultimately worked against First Nations in Canada. The FPNP established themselves as a federal party in 2005.
The FPNP have stated that their Web site is slowly but surely coming along and will be updated. The moccasin telegraph has served them well and will continue to do so. However the funding for the party is another issue altogether.
"Certainly we're financially challenged. We're a poor, fledging party, that's OK. Money is the root of all evil. If we had lots of it, we'd look like any other party," said FPNP Leader Barb Wardlaw, adding that her party intends to prove that you don't need big money to run a successful campaign.
Will Morin, the candidate for Sudbury is also feeling the pinch of the skeleton budget. In lieu of normal political tactics, like billboards and brochures, he invites everyone to give him a call to discuss the issues.
In an interview with the Sudbury Star he stated, "I am going to invite people to call me, invite me, participate in this election. In the Aboriginal world, if we compete, we don't survive. If we work together, we survive." Morin also added that he hopes to get some Aboriginal voters to vote for perhaps the very first time in their lives.
That's a thought shared by John Malcolm, the candidate for Athabasca/Fort McMurray whose fight for Aboriginal rights has stretched to a decade now. Malcolm has identified that getting Aboriginal people to participate in the democratic process is one of his biggest challenges.
"I'm here to help practice democracy, help Aboriginal people get their rights and try to help all Canadian citizens while I'm doing it," explained Malcolm.
Malcolm ran in the last election and had the best showing of all the FPNP candidates. Unfortunately that best showing still left him in last place in a pool of four. Malcolm is also concerned with "convincing them that we're a party worth voting for. That we're out there-fighting for them and their rights."
Noeline Villebrun, the candidate for the NWT explained, "We don't have corporations sending us thousands of dollars in donations because we may not fit their criteria for who they want to push their agendas forward."
Villebrun, who is considered a frontrunner candidate for the FPNP, is no stranger to politics. She was voted the Dene National Chief in 2003, among other political accolades. Furthermore, she is also a powerful ambassador for women, a quest that began in 1979 when she founded the NWT Women's Coalition.
Some of the issues that the FPNP is fighting for are longstanding issues, such as the Kelowna Accord, treaty rights, education, and the right to have clean water on reserves. Other issues, such as the Conservatives party's recent rejection of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Aboriginal Peoples, is certainly an issue that the Aboriginals would like to see resolved more quickly than others.
Another interesting fact is that in 1996, the federal government capped funding increases for First Nations at two percent a year. This cap continues despite continued reports illustrating that the Aboriginal population is growing 3.5 times faster than the rest of Canada. The result is eroding reserve conditions, and many First Nations that continue to trail the rest of society.
Many reports have stated that Native issues are not on the forefront of the other parties agendas.
Wardlaw and FPNP believe that they will have to throw their hats into the ring in order to make sure that First Nations do not get lost in the wave of campaign promises.
"We're running to fight poverty. We're running to make a difference, and we're vying for change. These are the venues you have to take if you're trying to do that. What platform are we taking? We're not another party, we're not the other party," stated Wardlaw, who also implied that the candidates are not on a short leash. "They know full well what the issues are in their areas and they're going to fight for the people in those areas."
There is quiet but powerful rumbling in media reports that suggest that Natives have the potential to flex their proverbial political muscle in the 2008 election. In as many as 60 ridings in Canada, First Nations account for at least five percent of the vote.
"Our people are growing in population. We're becoming stronger as people, and we're better able to work in the environment that we're forced to work in," Wardlaw expressed, adding that the long-term goal is to have equal say, and equal power.
Equality is certainly a feasible notion, according to the AFN, if the over 800,000 First Nation citizens across Canada choose to participate in the election. Large groups interested in "rocking the boat" have engaged in strategic voting. Also vote pairing or vote swapping has become another intriguing way to impose change. Basically, it is now believed that 800,000 votes is a substantial piece of a political pie.
Unfortunately, there is a portion of First Nations that believe that to participate in the vote is to be a turncoat to your own people.
Rob Ballantyne, who is running for the Desnethe-Missinipi-Churchill Riding, in northern Saskatchewan, remains a positive voice for unity. He believes that it is possible to work with non-Aboriginals, and it is possible to redefine what self-determination means. He is also worried that since the Conservative party has not experienced a majority government, that we have not seen their true colours yet.
Although the FPNP will not be the majority government this time around, and they will not be a part of the debates, it is believed they will be heard loud and clear.
"We are not a threat to anybody, and I'm certain that's why there's little attention paid to us. But I'm certain we're going to have an MP in the House after this election," expressed Wardlaw, who also noted that she finds the debates entertaining.
The FPNP's two most prevalent concerns are that they are considered as a candidate, and that First Nations make their voices heard.
The opportunity to vote will be on Oct. 14. For more information on the First Peoples National Party of Canada, log on to www.fpnpoc.ca or check out their Facebook page.