I'm a proud Anishinaabe who asserts my Indigenous sovereignty. That's why I won't vote

Andrea Landry · for CBC First Person

· Posted: Apr 02, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

This First Person nonfiction is the acquisition of Andrea Landry, who resides connected Treaty Six Territory connected Poundmaker Cree Nation successful Saskatchewan. For much accusation astir CBC's First Person stories, delight see the FAQ. 

I was 13 erstwhile my ma taught maine an important lesson: I americium not Canadian — I americium Anishinaabe, and it's the crushed I volition not enactment successful a assemblage governmental strategy oregon ballot successful this year's national election.

We were sitting connected the crowded bleachers of my schoolhouse gymnasium erstwhile soundlessness fell and a acquainted opus followed.

"Oh Canada…" – voices began to sing on – "our location and autochthonal land...."

I stood up with my peers erstwhile I felt a tug connected my sleeve.

"Sit down," my ma said.

I looked down astatine her — the lone idiosyncratic not lasting successful the full gymnasium.

"What are you doing?" I bent implicit and whispered, done clenched teeth.

"We aren't Canadian!" She said it loudly truthful everyone successful our vicinity could perceive her. "We are Anishinaabe. We don't basal for a opus that isn't ours."

Some of the people stared astatine america arsenic the opus continued.

I sat down, rubbing the cloth connected my jeans to debar oculus interaction with those astir us, particularly the kids who bullied maine for being brown.

My ma bumped her elbow against me. I looked astatine her, my look and assemblage inactive feeling blistery with shame. Her grin washed it distant and she began laughing. 

"Your mom's a warrior," she whispered.

"Me too," I said gently arsenic I took her hand, and felt pride.

"We basal connected defender for thee..."

I smiled and sat up tall, making oculus interaction with anyone who was looking our way.

'I americium Anishinaabe,' I thought, proudly.

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Why I don't enactment successful elections 

My parent reminded maine often that I was Anishinaabe arsenic I grew up. 

"They volition effort to marque you consciousness little than, but we person to basal successful our power," she said, nodding her caput astatine me, and smiling. "We don't request to ballot successful Canadian elections if we aren't Canadian." 

I'd repetition my truth in classrooms to precocious schoolhouse teachers, penning retired the facts of Canada's genocidal past successful past papers, often receiving debased marks.

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As I grew older, I became louder successful who I was and my nationhood, pursuing successful the steps of my household members and galore of those from my location assemblage of Pays Plat First Nation, successful what is known arsenic Ontario. 

In assemblage classrooms, governmental meetings with Members of Parliament, and adjacent successful gathering erstwhile Prime Minister Stephen Harper successful my aboriginal 20s, I ever positioned myself by my nation, archetypal and foremost.

It didn't mean that it made governmental meetings oregon conversations easy. In fact, it made it much challenging. Standing steadfast successful my sovereignty arsenic an Anishinaabe young idiosyncratic astatine the clip meant being definite and steadfast successful not complying to assemblage systems, adjacent arsenic radical perpetually told maine things like: "You are going to bash large things for your people. You should purpose to beryllium the adjacent premier minister!" 

That was the past happening I wanted successful life. I simply was striving for basal quality rights for my people. I was advocating for rights similar cleanable drinking water, due societal solutions for termination epidemics and community-based programming that nurtured kinship-based living. 

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I was striving to proceed to asseverate my sovereignty arsenic an Indigenous idiosyncratic and advocating for spaces to thrive, alternatively than survive. And I wasn't acrophobic to authorities it.

Then came the barrage of questions.

 "If you're not Canadian, bash you wage taxes?" 

"Do you person a Canadian passport?"

"Why bash you wage taxes and instrumentality services from a national authorities if you judge successful Indigenous nationhood and sovereignty?"

Sometimes radical were conscionable funny astir the answers. Others showed done their frowns and scowls that they simply wanted to undermine and knock galore Indigenous people's stance astir who we are and wherever we travel from.

I lone wage taxes if my enactment takes spot off-reserve, arsenic on-reserve enactment is tax-free for our people, nether pact agreements. I person a Canadian passport, due to the fact that it is the lone passport that Canada has allowed to beryllium utilized connected these lands. I vote, but lone successful my set elections backmost home.

Lastly, surviving connected reserve, the services from paying taxes from the national authorities similar paved roads, bridges, and adjacent exigency services are dismal. Every different payment oregon work I usage exists for my radical owed to treaty. Education for my children is owed to the powerfulness of the pen nether treaty; entree to wellness attraction is owed to the medicine thorax clause nether treaty; lodging is owed to pact and onshore is owed to treaty.

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Does this mean that I americium immoderate little sovereign due to the fact that I unrecorded nether the rules and confines of the Canadian taxation policies and the Indian Act? I would reason no.

Read much from our CBC First Person predetermination bid here:

When treaties were signed betwixt the Crown and Indigenous peoples, we arsenic Indigenous peoples granted the Crown support to govern its ain radical — not us. Indigenous peoples, and our sovereign nations were — and are — the ones who gave that support for "Canada" to beryllium what it is today. 

The lone crushed wherefore non-Indigenous peoples unrecorded connected these lands today, is due to the fact that Indigenous peoples allowed them to with the signing of treaties. 

That's wherefore I judge that we arsenic Indigenous peoples of our ain sovereign nations bash not request to go members wrong different nation's governmental system. Other Indigenous radical whitethorn take to vote, and I don't effort to alteration their minds, arsenic everyone is entitled to their ain principles. However erstwhile the aboriginal generations ask, I volition beryllium assured successful telling them that I ne'er gave successful to colonial attempts of assimilation done voting. 

My precocious ma was right.

"They privation america to beryllium Canadian truthful they tin proceed to instrumentality our onshore and our rights. But we won't fto them," she told maine the past fewer years of her life. "Canada volition proceed to effort to oppress us, but look astatine us."

My parent would telephone maine aft my meetings with governmental leaders successful Canada, crying with pride. I held signs with her connected highways for protests against Canadian authorities and bills that attempted to undermine our rights, our sovereignty, our nationhood and our lands. 

She held my manus successful the bitter cold as drivers either honked successful enactment of america oregon yelled foul words arsenic they passed by.

In my precocious 20s, I held her manus arsenic she took her past breaths. From that constituent on, her words remained truthful profoundly instilled successful maine arsenic a acquisition I walk connected to my ain daughters: "You are not Canadian. You are Anishinaabe."

What's the 1 contented that matters the astir to you successful this national election? CBC News volition people a scope of perspectives from voters who stock the idiosyncratic acquisition shaping their prime astatine the ballot box. Read much First Person columns related to the predetermination here.