Cuthand: Despite democratic legacy, Indigenous torn on voting

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When I was born, I wasn’t recognized as a Canadian citizen, nor were my parents allowed to vote even though our roots in Canada went back generations.

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In 1951 the Indian Act was amended to include several updates. The revised Indian Act recognized the Canadian citizenship of Indigenous people. This should have been an embarrassment, but the government treated us like they were doing us a favour.

Throughout the 1950s, Indian Affairs was operated as a branch of the Department of Citizenship and Immigration, another huge insult.

In 1960, John Diefenbaker “granted” the right to vote for Indigenous people, to mixed reaction; some welcomed it, while others thought that it would erode their rights. To this day, the Mohawk nations in Eastern Canada refuse to vote.

Saskatchewan’s government followed shortly in 1960, and the provincial franchise was extended to the Indigenous citizens.

Achieving the right to vote was greeted by mixed reaction in Indian country. Some agreed that it was a good thing. Our young men had fought and died for the country during the Second World War and we had every right to have a say in how the country was governed.

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On the other hand, some felt that it was a step toward assimilation and the loss of our treaty and Aboriginal rights.

John Diefenbaker appointed James Gladstone from the Kainai Nation in southern Alberta to the senate to strengthen the relationship between the First Nations and the government of Canada.

For years the Conservative party was a strong favourite among Indigenous people, particularly in Saskatchewan, because of Diefenbaker and his links with the First Nations community. However, over the years the party changed, and Indigenous issues fell by the wayside.

Today Liberal and NDP candidates are the main choice for the Indigenous vote.

Métis leaders had been elected to parliament for years, the most notable being Louis Riel who was never able to take his seat. Len Marchand from British Columbia was the first status Indian to be elected in 1968. He would later serve in the senate.

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Marchand was followed by Ethel Blondin, Wilton Littlechild, Elijah Harper, Georgina Jolibois, Jody Wilson-Raybould and others. Peter Ittinuar was the first Inuit MP, and he was followed by Jack Anawak, Leona Aglukkaq and others.

Indigenous people have made an outstanding contribution to Canada and now serve in the federal parliament as well as the provincial legislatures, including Wab Kinew, who is the premier of Manitoba.

And yet the controversy still simmers as to whether our people should vote in federal and provincial elections. For many, outside elections used to hold little interest for our people — they didn’t see any advantage for them.

As the world becomes a more complicated place and more people live off the reserves, our people see the value of getting involved in federal and provincial decision making.

It’s not as if democracy is a stranger to us. We have been electing our leaders for generations. We have our own way of doing it. Traditionally, the family heads would appoint a leader and, if they didn’t agree, they voted with their feet and joined another leader.

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My dad told me the story of how they chose a band councillor at Stanley Mission in the 1950s. The two candidates stood side by side on the riverbank and their supporters lined up behind them. The candidate with the longest line won.

When it became apparent who had won, their supporters stepped away, the two rivals shook hands and it was over, except for the Indian Agent who was still trying to count everyone.

Now our rights are enshrined in the Canadian constitution, and we have a legal right to form our own governments. To quote the late Harold Cardinal from Alberta, we are “citizens plus.” Politics is a cottage industry in Indian Country.

Personally, I see voting as an act of patriotism for my First Nation. We have the right to vote for our people’s best interest and I intend to use it.

Doug Cuthand is the Indigenous affairs columnist for the Saskatoon StarPhoenix and the Regina Leader-Post. He is a member of the Little Pine First Nation.

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