FIRST NATIONS CANDIDATES RUN THE GAMUT OF POLITICAL STRIPES
Assembly of First Nations’ Grand Chief Perry Bellegarde publicly agonized over whether to vote in the federal election. But there was never any doubt what the 37 aboriginal candidates were going to do election day.
It is the largest number of indigenous candidates ever and their loyalties span the four parties.
The majority are running for the NDP and the Liberals with 15 each. Four are Green candidates and three are running for the Conservatives, including incumbents Leona Aglukkaq and Rob Clarke.
Some are running in rural ridings with reserves; some in urban ridings where there is a significant and growing percentage of First Nations and Metis voters.
Still others are running in ridings where it’s not inconceivable that when the candidate shows up on the doorstep, it will be the first time some residents will have spoken to a First Nations person.
Three First Nations candidates are running in British Columbia — Liberal Jody Wilson- Raybould in Vancouver Granville, NDP Carleen Thomas in North Vancouver and Green Brenda Sayers in North Island- Powell River.
All three believe their different perspectives as aboriginal people with different cultures and traditions are missing from the debates in Ottawa. All three want the new government to honour the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
But that’s only a part of their reason for running. All three believe their experience as chiefs and councillors is easily transferable and is a valuable asset for the broader constituencies they seek to represent.
As regional chief for the AFN, Wilson- Raybould was deeply involved in talks with the prime minister and key government officials during the heady days of Idle No More when Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence was fasting and protests were being held across the country.
She decided to run because she left those meetings disillusioned about democracy and the ability of individuals and groups to be heard in this country.
Thomas and Sayers were drawn into federal politics because of two specific issues that have consumed much of their time and energy over the last few years.
As an elected member of the Tsleil- Waututh Nation, Thomas helped set up the Sacred Trust Initiative to oppose the TransMountain pipeline, which would result in twice the oil tanker traffic up Burrard Inlet and through English Bay.
“People would ask me what to do to help and I would tell them to talk to their ( municipal) councillors, their MLAs and their MPs,” Thomas says. “And then I began to think maybe I needed to walk my own talk.”
For Sayers, the catalyst was the Canada- China foreign investment promotion and protection ( FIPPA) agreement. Sayers led the Hupacasath First Nation’s unsuccessful court challenge to stop its ratification.
The 31- year agreement was signed without parliamentary debate by Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Vladivostok in 2014.
Sayers and the Hupacasath argued in Federal Court that the FIPPA undermines the ability of First Nations to say no to resource development by allowing Chinese companies to sidestep the legal obligation to consult with them.
Other groups including the Council of Canadians, B. C. Federation of Labour, the Canadian Auto Workers, West Coast Environmental Law and the Union of B. C. Indian Chiefs supported the Hupacasath’s case.
Yet while all candidates face questions about why they’re running, for aboriginal candidates, the question can take on a decidedly ugly undertone.
Sayers and Thomas say they have not experienced racism on the campaign, but they’ve heard other candidates mention it.
Even though Wilson- Raybould has lived most of her life in the riding, voters have asked why they should vote for an aboriginal candidate.
“If I were some other race or ethnicity, it’s not a question that I would have been asked as often as I am,” she says.
Since Wilson- Raybould started campaigning 15 months ago, she has also been asked whether she pays taxes. Yes, she does, and so do most of Canada’s 1.4 million aboriginal people. Fewer than half are eligible for tax exemptions that apply only to status Indians living and working on reserves.
Wilson- Raybould has also had to rebut the suggestion that she got her law degree free.
“I’m conscious of some people having concerns or false impressions,” Wilson- Raybould says. “There is an undercurrent of racism, but I think that people just lack the information and the understanding.”
In a country that prides itself on multiculturalism, it seems Canadians still have a lot to learn from its first peoples.