No political party owns First Nations
Recently federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre announced nationwide consultations between First Nation communities and industry leaders on a proposed option for First Nations to share revenue generated on our lands. Two things in this announcement struck me: that resource development amongst Indigenous communities was being acknowledged, and that consultation was happening. There was a lot of feedback that was positive but as always, there was the negative, too. There is an undeniable misconception amongst Canadians, especially non-indigenous Canadians, that Indigenous people in this country should vote the way they expect them to.
Canada’s First Nations have a complicated history, not only with the government but with understanding among our fellow Canadians. In 2008, Poilievre came under fire for remarks he made about residential school survivors. In 2019, there were calls to remove Liberal candidate Jaime Battiste, now an MP, who made racist comments about Indigenous people. It seemed like everywhere you turned, there were politicians who did not understand us.
Stephen Harper. A name we are all familiar with — prime minister of Canada until his defeat to Justin Trudeau in 2015, and now the name we hear when something is going wrong and we need to shift the blame. Not only was he known for being fiscally prudent, but he was also infamously noted amongst Indigenous people as someone who did not consult or understand the complexity of issues facing First Nations.
During his years in power, Harper introduced Bill C-45, better known as the “Jobs and Growth Act, 2012,” which was omnibus legislation that made changes to several Canadian laws and the Indian Act. It was heavily criticized amongst Indigenous people for the lack of consultation, which in turn kicked off Idle No More, a social movement that rippled across the country, and it left a sour taste for Conservatives amongst Indigenous people. How could it not?
A lot of things have changed since 2015. We saw the Truth and Reconciliation Commission bring out the 94 calls to action. We saw widespread movement on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. We saw Bill C-92 enacted and the power of child welfare being given back to First Nation communities. And we started to see a real shift on Indigenous matters being thought of as important and as Canadian issues. I like to believe that during this time, people and politicians were learning, too.
Trudeau campaigned on big promises for Indigenous people during the 2015 election. His campaign was electric and set the stage for optimism, something many Canadians felt was missing. Not only did his government elect Canada’s first Indigenous justice minister, Jody Wilson-raybould, he dissolved Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada in 2017 and replaced it with two new departments. The bureaucracy was ballooning and there was hope that real and tangible action was going to be seen. This made Liberal voters proud of their party affiliation. They were not only seen as progressive but wore the Indigenous allyship like a badge of honour. They were a part of the movement that was going to change our lives forever, or so I’m sure they thought.
Fast forward to 2023. Indigenous nations are evolving and becoming stewards of their own destinies. We see Indigenous people across the country practicing self-determination like never before. Some are flying into northern mines in Saskatchewan to work in a camp, some are protesting land rights in British Columbia, some are attending law school and some are running for politics. Despite what they are doing, they are doing it on their own. Existing in modern society takes courage. It takes courage to exist not only as a Canadian but as an Indigenous one with strong roots in both the world of our pre-colonial ancestors and the modern-day world.
There are a lot of Canadian voters out there who do not understand this. I chose the route of politics. I wanted to get involved in federal politics at the first opportunity. I see myself as having the power to belong to my identity but I also appreciate the Canadian values and hard work that have got me where I am today. I vote not only based on what is best for me as an Indigenous person but for my friends and family who are farmers or who own businesses, my husband who worked in an industry that relies on resource development, and my children who will need a good, stable country to thrive in.
Indigenous people face an incredible amount of backlash from the concept of practicing self-determination. I saw a former chief of a First Nation in Alberta praise Poilievre for his announcement the other day. That Indigenous leader sees consultation and revenue-sharing within the resource development sector as a good thing. In response online, someone called him a sellout. My jaw nearly hit the floor. I am no stranger to online harassment but when it gets to the level of insulting our Indigenous leaders, it shocks me.
I have had people deny I am First Nations, make fake accounts to harass me, call me a sellout and even go so far as to say my ancestors would be “rolling over in their grave” because I choose to vote for who I want to. This level of vitriol is not just shameful, it is hateful and based on racism and disregard for who we are as human beings outside of our identity. Denying my identity because you do not agree with me denies the history of my ancestors, the resiliency they had, and my trauma as well.
Our political landscape is changing. Technology is changing the way people communicate. Modern-day society rages on and Canada’s Indigenous people are finding their place. We are existing in these spaces and finding for ourselves what works for us. I am a firm believer in never telling any of my fellow Indigenous brothers and sisters who to vote for, for this reason. I respect our paths and hope we can all continue to exist and be free from humiliation and hatred when we do. But one thing is undeniably clear: no political party in Canada owns us.
IT TAKES COURAGE TO EXIST ... AS AN INDIGENOUS (CANADIAN).