The Chief of the Saskatoon Tribal Council is calling on aboriginal voters to make their presence felt in a big way in the upcoming provincial election.
Chief Felix Thomas says the Tribal council is working hard to get aboriginal voters to the ballot box on April 4 by starting an initiative to help them make a splash.
“Voting gets people engaged and for a number of years our First Nations people haven’t been engaged in the mainstream political system and we are trying to correct that,” says Chief Thomas.
According to the STC, the initiative will aim to help voters overcome any barriers that may hold them back from casting their vote.
Thomas says he hopes aboriginal voters will realize their vote makes a difference.
He notes that a younger generation of aboriginal voters has become more involved, which he says was apparent in the previous federal election.
“Younger people are starting to get more involved and they seem to be more civically minded than what we used to be, so we are hoping that will spill over into the election.”
Chief Thomas says he hopes voters will ride the momentum First Nation voters gained during the federal election that saw historic aboriginal voter turnout.
In the meantime, the Saskatoon Tribal Council has sent a letter to each political party outlining the issues they face.
Thomas says he hopes party leaders will address these issues in their platforms.
“We see provincial parties say something on First Nations, but it is a generic platform that doesn’t address something we see as important and that is something we are trying to rectify.”
While Thomas does say what the STC is facing may be different than other Tribal councils across the province he does hope political parties will address all issues facing aboriginal voters.