First Nations franchise: Buying in or selling out?

A half century after First Nations in Canada won the vote, it's still not clear if everybody wants it. First Nations vote in some of the lowest numbers of any group, but many say that's not a problem, it's a statement.

“For many people that act of voting is still about a choice between [becoming] Canadian or remaining Status [Indian],” says Kiera Ladner, the Canada Research Chair in indigenous politics and a professor in political science at the University of Manitoba.

March 31, 2010 marked the 50th anniversary of the First Nations franchise. Until 1960, First Nations were not allowed to vote in federal elections unless they gave up their Indian Status. Even though there’s no longer that trade off, many First Nations today still feel voting is equivalent to participating in a colonial institution and giving up their identity.

Members of the Rice Lake Band near Peterborough, Ont., in July 1960. They were among the first to cast votes after the franchise was extended to First Nations in 1960.

Survey data collected by the Strategic Counsel for Elections Canada shows approximately 45 per cent of First Nations who reside on reserves cast a ballot in the last federal election, compared to 59 per cent of the general population.

More than one million Canadians – just under four per cent of the population – identify themselves as Aboriginal (First Nations, Inuit or Métis). More than half live in rural areas or on one of the country’s more than 600 reserves.

A nation north of Ottawa

The nation of Kitigan Zibi in the riding of Pontiac, Que., has one of the lowest on-reserve voter turnout rates in Canada.

“Our community has rarely voted in federal or provincial elections,” says Kitigan Zibi’s chief, Gilbert Whiteduck. “We view those levels of government as not being ours. … First of all, we're Anishinabe.”

In the last federal election, only 54 people out of 877 eligible voters turned up to vote at the Kitigan Zibi poll – about 6 per cent. The overall turnout in Pontiac was 55 per cent.

Whiteduck says a big part of peoples’ decisions not to vote in federal elections has to do with maintaining the sovereignty of their nation, and not assimilating into Canadian society. But individuals on the reserve are always free to participate in federal elections or not, he says.

The numbers game

Along with concerns about assimilation, Ladner says geography and population concentration can affect whether someone decides to vote.

“Aboriginal people may not have a strong enough influence [in many ridings to] create a voting bloc. They may not be able to have an impact,” Ladner says. There are about a dozen electoral districts in Canada where Aboriginals make up a significant part of the population on or off reserves, and most of these are in the north. According to Elections Canada, these ridings include Nunavut, Churchill in Manitoba, and Churchill River in Saskatchewan.

In southern ridings where there are up to only a few thousand First Nations living on reserves, Ladner says candidates tend to ignore these communities because their vote largely doesn’t affect the outcome. “It’s still just a blip on the electoral map,” Ladner says, using the example of the Tsuu T’ina First Nation next to Calgary.Canada needs to build bridges that make native people feel like the [country] is in their neighbourhood

Although the overall on-reserve turnout rate is low across Canada, voting patterns do vary by nation and by region. For example, the Mohawk nations of Southern Ontario typically don’t vote, while the Anishinabe nations in Manitoba tend to vote more often, Ladner says.

A study conducted by Elections Canada after the 2000 federal election found that on-reserve voter turnout was highest in Prince Edward Island (where 66.9 per cent of eligible voters on reserves cast a ballot) and lowest in Quebec (where just over 35 per cent of eligible voters on reserves turned out). Ladner points out that non-First Nations people also live on reserves, and this could actually inflate the real number of First Nations showing up to vote.

Building bridges

In contrast voter turnout is generally higher in band council elections on Canada’s reserves, sometimes hitting 95 per cent.

“It’s very immediate. It’s right in the neighbourhood,” explains John Medicine Horse Kelly, a professor of journalism at Carleton University who has worked with Elections Canada to develop outreach materials for First Nations.

John Medicine Horse Kelly, professor of journalism at Carleton University, helped Elections Canada develop Aboriginal-specific voter materials.For the same to happen in federal elections, Kelly says, “Canada needs to build bridges that make native people feel like the [country] is in their neighbourhood.”

Whiteduck is skeptical about the suggestion that voting in federal elections will bring changes to his and other First Nations communities. Nor should those rights be respected only if his people vote, he says.

“Is everything tied to a vote?” Whiteduck asks. He says he still engages with politicians and policymakers, but on an individual level, rather than as members of parties.

Whiteduck and Ladner both think it's unlikely young Aboriginals will buy into the political system as they reach voting age. Young Aboriginals do represent a potentially significant voting bloc (nearly half of Canada’s First Nations are under 25), but their engagement with national politics is even lower than the rate among non-Aboriginal youth.

They are aware of the sovereignty issues that surround voting, says Colby Tootoosis, the co-chair of the Youth Council of the Assembly of First Nations. "Where it might be going is a balance," he says. There are young Aboriginals who see themselves as the next prime minister, but there are also many who want to strengthen indigenous governance.

Ladner says some researchers forecast a higher voter turnout as Aboriginal youth become more educated and affluent. At the same time, she says, more education means more awareness about colonization, treaties and the weak relationship between Canada and its Aboriginal people. There is a real possibility that First Nations will continue to abstain from a system they feel does not respect their rights or make them feel welcome in their own land.

“We don’t have an “Indian problem” in this country,” Ladner says. “We have a Canadian problem.”

Turning out the vote in '08

Gina Consentino is now a freelance researcher and lobbyist. Two years ago, when Stephen Harper sparked a fall election, she was the advisor to then-Assembly of First Nations National Chief Phil Fontaine on government and international affairs. She helped develop a campaign to get Aboriginal voters to the polls.

Ian Shelton caught up with her in Ottawa to find out how it unfolded.