First Nations must ‘harness political power’ in election: AFN chief – CTV
July 7, 2015
Assembly of First Nations Chief Perry Bellegarde says aboriginal issues must be “front and centre” for all parties in the upcoming federal election, expected to take place in October.
Mobilizing the vote among First Nations is top of the agenda as leaders and youth from across Canada gather in Montreal for the 36th First Nations Annual General Assembly starting Tuesday.
If First Nations people exercise their right to vote, he says, they can significantly influence the outcome in at least 51 ridings across Canada. And the effect could extend even further, as major political parties would be under pressure to feature aboriginal issues in their platforms.
“We have to harness that political power because members of parliament running, if they know that First Nations people don’t vote, they don’t really care about our issues,” Bellegarde told CTV’s Canada AM early Tuesday.
