Indians have no power in elections, commission told

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"Indian people find themselves in a leaking canoe, roaring down a churning river without paddles. The raging river represents the direction of society and the Canadian government and the lack of paddles represents the Indians' inability to exercise our federal franchise in any meaningful manner."

That analogy made to emphasize the powerlessness Indian people feel in federal elections was in a brief presented to the Royal Commission on Electoral Reform and Party Financing May 16 on Siksika Nation Reserve.

The commission was established in November last year to examine the principles, processes and rules that govern federal elections, including redistribution of riding boundaries, the registration system and election financing.

The commission's visit to Siksika Nation will be the first and only stop on a reserve to hear submissions on Native participation in federal elections.

The commission has heard six presentations from aboriginal people and groups including Senator Len Marchand, a Native from British Columbia, on the lack of representation of Native people in Parliament.

The formal Siksika presentation was made by Andrew Bear Robe, division manager of self-government, following an informal discussion between the chief and council and members of the commission on treaty rights and land claims.

Bear Robe described how the historical relationship between Siksika and Canada denied representation of Indians in Parliament. He provided the commission with two options for change to the electoral process to increase aboriginal representation in Parliament.

"The first option would be to establish electoral districts based on treaty areas throughout Canada" in which only Indian or Metis candidates and voters could run or vote.

He cited Treaty 7 area as an example. The reserves share a common history, speak a common language - with the exception of the Sarcee and Stoney - face identical social problems and have similar political and economic aspirations. This model would ensure equitable representation in Parliament of Indian First Nation.

The second option would see a specified number of aboriginal representatives elected based upon the total aboriginal population of the province or territory.

Although this model may sound radical Bear Robe said, it has been used in New Zealand with some degree of success. In Norway, legislation was passed forming an aboriginal people's parliament which advises the Norwegian government on aboriginal affairs.

"The combined effects of environmental desicration and disease epidemics coupled with policies of cultural and physical genocide," said Bear Robe,"left the Blackfoot impoverished and impotent."

He said the denial of Indians' right to vote in federal elections prior to 1960 was blatantly discriminatory.

"Indian people," he continued, "now have the right to vote in provincial and federal elections. However, their vote is powerless and in effective due to defects inherent in the system."

Bear Robe said the "greatest shortcoming of a liberal democracy is the subjugation of the minority interest to the tyranny of the majority."

He said that from an Indian perspective this notion is "tantamount to suicide."

The Meech Lake debate and Quebec's aspirations for cultural and political preservation was used as an example of how the interests of a segment of society is inconsistent with the majority of the rest of Canadian society.

"Unlike Quebec, Indian First Nations have little or no impact upon the constitutional direction of Canada nor the business of Parliament." said Bear Robe.

Commission chairman Pierre Lortie said the Siksika presentation was the best he's heard on the budget.

Chief Strater Crowfoot said he preferred option one but Lortie said that might require constitutional changes and the commission preferred as much as possible to avoid constitutional complications.

Lortie noted aboriginal representation in Parliament based on option two fits in well with the accepte principle of guaranteed representation for each province.

He said that with three per cent of Canada's population aboriginal, about 11 aboriginal candidates could be elected as members of Parliament. Currently only three of the 295 MPs are Native. Two are from the Northwest Territories; the other is from Alberta.

The commissioners were treated to Blackfoot hospitality at Siksika resort before they resumed their travels to Vancouver for more public hearings.