The national chief of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) says he’s listened to his elders and will be voting on Oct. 19 after all.
Just a week ago, the AFN issued a statement encouraging First Nations people to vote in the federal election.
However, Chief Perry Bellegarde said that, as a personal choice, he had never voted in a national election and wasn’t planning to cast a ballot this time either.
But Bellegarde says he changed his mind after hearing from a range of people, both young and old, who strongly urged him to practice what he preaches.
“I don’t want my not voting to be an excuse for First Nations people not to participate in the upcoming election October 19 and so I reassessed everything and … talked and listened to the chiefs and the leaders and the elders,” he said.
“The message to me was consistent and very clear: it’s important for me to get out to vote because we’re urging First Nations citizens to get out and vote and it just makes sense for the national chief to be part of that as well,” he said.
He does point out that being non-partisan is still essential – that as a First Nations leader his relationship is with the Crown, not any political party.
Bellegarde said he plan to vote for the party most dedicated to closing the gap between non-aboriginals and First Nations people, adding that he has not yet decided who he will vote for and won’t make his decision public.
(With files from The Canadian Press)