Indigenous candidates abound, yet election pans Aboriginal issues

Candidates, leaders of national Aboriginal organizations, and academia all say that, to date, the federal election has been light on issues that impact the country’s Indigenous peoples.

The first leaders’ debate touched briefly on relevant issues, said Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde.

“We’ve got to really do a better job of getting our issues and priorities in front of the party leaders, in front of their caucus and political teams,” said Bellegarde.

Those issues, he said, centre around what he calls “closing the gap” between First Nations people and the rest of Canadian society. In recent years, the United Nations Human Development Index has ranked Canada at six, while First Nations in the country fall to 63.

“That gap represents all of our issues,” said Bellegarde. Those include: overcrowded housing; cap on transfers to First Nations people; cap on education; the high number of missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls; the high rate of youth suicide rate; and high health care rate.

“But when I say they’re our issues, they’re also Canada’s issues because that gap is not good for our people and it’s not good for Canada. Therefore, when we win on closing that gap, it represents a win for all of Canada.”

To get answers, AFN will be sending a questionnaire on federal election priorities for First Nations people to the four major parties and will ask for response on six themes: strengthening First Nations families and communities; sharing in equitable funding of key issues; upholding rights; respecting the environment; revitalizing Indigenous languages; and implementing the recommendations made by Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Bellegarde said the AFN will not be endorsing any party, but will share the results of the questionnaire with its membership to allow them to make informed decisions.

A major First Nations-related announcement came from the Liberals in mid-August, when leader Justin Trudeau promised $2.6 billion in new funding over four years to improve kindergarten to Grade 12 schooling, as well as help First Nations students gain access to post-secondary education.

That announcement, and early in the campaign emphasizes the Liberal’s strong Indigenous caucus, said Robert-Falcon Ouellette, who is running under the Liberal banner in Winnipeg Centre.

“We’ve been talking to the Liberal party about what it is we want to see in the platformÖ really seeing Aboriginal people as being centre to what’s happening in our country and part of what we need to be doing to ensure this group is successful, so all of Canadians are successful,” he said.

At the time of our publishing, the Liberals have 15 Indigenous candidates. Ouellette, who is Cree, has a Ph.D. He says there are other well-qualified Indigenous candidates, all of whom would be strong Cabinet ministers in any portfolio.

The NDP, for its part, have promised to call for an inquiry into murdered and missing aboriginal women within 100 days of taking office.

April Bourgeois, who is one of 16 Indigenous NDP candidates, is running in Regina-Wascana and she says stay tuned for more on aboriginal issues from the party.

“As far as I’m concerned it is really important for the economic well-being for our province moving ahead, we have to be working with Aboriginal people,” she said.

Bourgeois contends that the NDP “is the best party” for protecting the environment as well as working with Aboriginal people in a respectful manner.

Selecting a candidate to support should not be based solely on indigeneity, said John Borrows, law foundation chair in Aboriginal justice and governance at the University of Victoria.

“That’s not always the path forward. I think what the voters should do is study the issues and strategically choose the candidate who best represents them on those issues,” he said. Borrows is also a member of the Chippewas of Nawash.

Liberal candidate Lawrence Joseph is running in the northern Saskatchewan riding of Desnethe-Missinippi-Churchill River, where the candidates for all three major parties are Aboriginal.

“That’s encouraging because the interest is there finally from our own people to take on this challenge, a very great challenge to be able to make a difference for the people they represent,” said Joseph, who’s campaigning in his second successive federal election. Reception this time around as he goes door- knocking has been more favourable than four years ago, he said.

Who better to put forward issues important to Aboriginal people than another Aboriginal person, said Bourgeois.

“Chances are if you vote for one of your own, they’re going to be backing you up and they’re going to be representing you.† It’s just more likely,” she said. “I’m never going to change my politics when it comes to First Nations. It’s like being pregnant. Either you are or you’re not. There’s no flip-flopping.”

Bourgeois isn’t concerned about NDP and Liberal supporters splitting the left-of-centre vote and the Conservatives coming out with the win. She believes that with the NDP presently having a greater number of seats in the House of Commons, her party has “a better shot. They need half as many seats as the Liberals need and I think that we have a really strong leader.”

Borrows contends that a coalition government formed by the Liberals and the NPD wouldn’t be a bad thing.

“People look down on coalitions but it’s possible you can form a coalition between the NDP and the Liberals. I know they’re both dancing around that and not being very definite that they would actually do that – and I understand the reason why they wouldn’t want to do that – but at the same time … you can often get very effective coalition governments,” he said.

“I, as national chief, will work with whoever gets elected Oct. 19,” said Bellegarde, noting that the AFN is a non-partisan organization.