Grand Chief’s message for Election Day, Oct. 19 – get out and vote!

Aanii,

Monday, October 19th is the opportunity for First Nation citizens to vote for our rights. I’ve been urging communities, over the past several weeks to ensure that our citizens know what is at stake in this federal election and to consider voting.

We’ve also been very active on social media ensuring that our people know how to register to vote and what ID they will require on Election Day.

Some of our communities have hosted candidate debates – the debates were an opportunities to bring First Nation issues to the forefront and to get the information we need to make an informed choice.

Last week we heard from several Anishinabek Nation Elders about how important it is to have a voice in this election. We need to support the political party that will support First Nation issues if they are elected.

There has been significant information distributed during the election campaign. We wanted to ensure that Anishinabek First Nation citizens are aware of the positions of the different political parties. It is important that we are able to make an informed decision on Election Day.

It is important that we vote strategically in each individual riding. We need to consider which candidate has the best opportunity to defeat the Conservative candidate in their riding regardless of their party affiliation. This is the best approach for creating change on October 19th.

Now it’s time for action – we need to ensure that First Nation citizens are able to travel to the polling stations to cast their ballots. Perhaps there are some volunteers in your community who can drive Elders or others without transportation to the polling station. Every one of our ballots will count on October 19, we need to make sure that our voice is heard by voting on October 19th.

Grand Council Chief Madahbee

Anishinabek Nation