Liberals, NDP court indigenous vote

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This article was published 08/07/2015 (4084 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA — The two main opposition party leaders took big swings at wooing aboriginal voters Tuesday.

NDP Leader Tom Mulcair and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau addressed the Assembly of First Nations general assembly in back-to-back speeches in which both pledged to deliver a new nation-to-nation relationship with indigenous people.

Both leaders pledged to close funding gaps for education, call a national inquiry for murdered and missing indigenous women, adhere to the principles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People and fundamentally change how Ottawa works with First Nations.

Mulcair pledged a cabinet-level committee, led by himself, to review every government decision to ensure it respects treaty rights and the UN declaration.

“I believe it’s time for a new era,” Mulcair said.

Trudeau said the Liberals will develop a federal reconciliation framework to ensure government work respects treaties and the declaration, and will review all the legislation introduced by the current government for the same. If the new laws don’t respect aboriginal rights, they will be scrapped, Trudeau said.

“A renewed relationship will also set us on the path to the responsible economic growth we all need and the shared future prosperity we all deserve,” Trudeau said.

The two leaders are vying for thousands of votes, on and off reserve, to help them win the federal election Oct. 19.

These are votes Perry Bellegarde, the grand chief of the AFN, says can significantly influence the result, and he wants First Nations people to spend the summer getting involved.

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“We can make a difference in at least 51 ridings,” Bellegarde said in a speech at the assembly Tuesday. Six of those are in Manitoba.

Bellegarde has been critical of the Conservatives but he is restricted by the AFN’s non-partisan status and isn’t officially calling for the defeat of the Tories.

Manitoba Grand Chief Derek Nepinak has no such restrictions and says he wants the Conservatives out.

“I’m certainly looking for a change in government,” he said.

mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca