Young First Nation advocates in northwestern Ontario call out candidates' silence on Indigenous issues

Sarah Law · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 10, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

With tariffs and the commercialized warfare betwixt Canada and the U.S. dominating overmuch of the national election, First Nation advocates successful northwestern Ontario are questioning wherefore they haven't heard overmuch from the candidates connected Indigenous issues.

For 18-year-old Siigwan McKay, who met erstwhile Prime Minister Justin Trudeau successful Thunder Bay past year, she says the soundlessness speaks volumes. She has been a beardown advocator for younker intelligence wellness enactment successful First Nations.

"We request morganatic reconciliation, similar the gathering backmost of relationships. I haven't seen [any] leaders of the [parties] spell into Indigenous communities and effort to conscionable with the radical determination — to spot however beingness is connected the reserves," said McKay, who is simply a subordinate of Bearskin Lake First Nation.

Meanwhile, 20-year-old Kris Moore, a subordinate of Fort Severn First Nation, said "I haven't been proceeding a azygous thing," erstwhile it comes to Indigenous issues connected the run trail.

LISTEN | Siigwan McKay/Kris Moore: First Nations Youth Panel

The 2021 census indicates determination are astatine slightest 55,000 Indigenous radical successful northwestern Ontario. However, assemblage leaders accidental these numbers whitethorn beryllium overmuch greater, owed to however galore radical take not to self-report arsenic First Nations, Métis oregon Inuit.

While McKay and Moore told CBC's Superior Morning they privation to spot a greater absorption connected Indigenous issues starring up to the April 28 vote, they besides accidental it's important to amended opportunities for governmental engagement wrong First Nations.

Concerns astir sovereignty, younker services

As a first-time voter, McKay said she has a fig of concerns this election, including Indigenous sovereignty and aboriginal improvement successful the northbound — peculiarly astir the Ring of Fire mineral deposit successful the James Bay lowlands.

While Conservative person Pierre Poilievre said helium would make a accelerated assets task bureau to streamline task applications if elected, McKay said she's acrophobic astir what this means for consultation with First Nations.

WATCH | Poilievre would make azygous bureau to grip assets task approvals

"It's colonization due to the fact that you're establishing power and taking distant the powerfulness of the radical who person lived determination for truthful long, since clip immemorial, wholly disrespecting Indigenous sovereignty and violating the cardinal rule of escaped and informed consent," she said.

Moore, who brings lived acquisition arsenic a erstwhile younker successful attraction to her advocacy enactment successful kid and household services, says improvement is besides a cardinal country of interest for her.

She besides wants to spot the adjacent national authorities connection much enactment for younker arsenic they property retired of care, she said.

"That's really a caller and unusual and unsafe clip to beryllium an Indigenous person, erstwhile you're unsocial successful the cities typically, and you typically don't person immoderate family," Moore said.

"There has been a batch of changes successful policies and betterment and grooming I'm seeing truthful far, truthful I deliberation we're connected the close track."

She did explicit concerns astir quality that Liberal person Mark Carney's former firm, Brookfield, has been accused of breaching Indigenous rights successful four countries.

"If those allegations are true, well, it's not going to look bully for the Indigenous people here," Moore said.

Improving governmental engagement

On-reserve elector turnout successful Ontario was 41.9 per cent successful the 2021 national election, compared to an wide elector turnout of 62.6 per cent crossed the country. For reserves successful the Kenora—Kiwetinoong riding, it was 38.8 per cent.

At the precocious schoolhouse level, McKay said there's not overmuch speech astir authorities beyond the mandatory civics and careers people successful Grade 10, which she'd similar to spot change.

"Maybe bringing a typical that knows a batch astir politics, knows a batch astir elections, that tin truly conscionable get into the minds of the younker and to beryllium like, 'Hey, this is wherefore there's an urgency to your dependable and your engagement successful presumption of a vote.'"

For Moore, portion she and her peers person been regularly discussing the election, she said galore radical successful distant First Nations don't person the means to get involved, which feeds into elector apathy.

"A batch of these communities don't ballot successful immoderate predetermination due to the fact that either they don't person the supplies to, they don't cognize the process to spell through," she said. "Honestly, they conscionable don't truly attraction due to the fact that they're truthful distant; they're isolated communities."

Hiring a co-ordinator oregon having a set councillor successful the assemblage assistance negociate things astatine polling stations whitethorn assistance span the gap, she suggested.

"Every ballot matters; they're inactive successful Canada and immoderate elected person that comes into bureau volition impact them, adjacent if they're surviving connected reserve," Moore said.

CBC News has compiled a database of predetermination promises made by Canada's large parties, which is being updated arsenic their platforms rotation out.

More accusation astir section candidates successful northwestern Ontario tin beryllium recovered here.