Towards a New Relationship

The 44th Federal Election will take place on September 20, 2021. The Chiefs of Ontario have developed the following information to assist First Nations leadership and communities that wish to participate in the federal election.

Towards a New Relationship, is the product of ongoing discussions with Ontario First Nation leadership regarding priority issues that affect their citizens and communities at large. It includes a list of fundamental priorities affecting the economic and social well-being of First Nations in Ontario, including addressing the environment and climate change and implementing the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Inquiry’s Calls for Justice and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action. In addition, Towards a New Relationship reflects many of the long-standing issues that have never been fully addressed by any government, including Treaty implementation, return of lands and resources, and a nation-to-nation relationship that respects inherent and Treaty-protected rights.

Eight key priority issues were identified by Ontario First Nation leadership as being critically important during 2021 Federal Election and beyond:

1. A New Relationship

2. Environment and Climate Change

3. Internal Capacity and Governance

4. Housing and Infrastructure

5. First Nations Economies

6. Pandemic Response, Health, and Well-Being

7. Uplifting First Nations Women and 2SLGBTQQIA People

8. Residential School Investigations

This discussion paper was created as a tool for First Nation citizens and leadership in Ontario to generate conversations on the ground about critical issues affecting their communities. It is intended to be shared across networks and facilitate informed decision-making in the upcoming federal election. In this era of reclaiming Indigenous sovereignty, it is imperative that First Nations jurisdiction, self-determination, and inherent rights are upheld and that the nation-to-nation relationship is respected by any newly elected Member of Parliament, Prime Minister, or Government of Canada.

For additional information, please contact Chris Hoyos, Director of Policy and Communication at Chris.Hoyos@coo.org.

Download: Towards A Relationship – A Discussion Paper on First Nations Priorities

Resources and Tools

The following information aims to provide First Nations in Ontario with a guide to finding where each of the major political parties stand on key First Nations-specific concerns as well as party priorities. We also provide additional information about where and how to participate in this year’s election.

Should any of this information change or be updated, it will be reflected within the following documents and sent to leadership regularly leading up to election day on September 20, 2021.

The Chiefs of Ontario have developed this Election Toolkit to assist and provide information to First Nations leadership and communities that wish to participate in the federal election.

This is preliminary information gleaned from the parties, these do not constitute the official platforms as those have not been released as of yet. We will continue to update the platform document throughout the campaign and provide updates. All wording choices have come directly from the political parties themselves. Chiefs of Ontario is a non-partisan organization and does not endorse any political party.

Elections Canada offers quick and easy access to accurate and reliable information to vote during an election. Download or share these tools to learn more and to help spread the word about the election.

A record number of Indigenous candidates are running in the 2021 Federal Election. View the full list of Indigenous candidates running across Canada.

To find all candidates who have been announced, follow these steps:

  1. Visit the Elections Canada website
  2. Type in the postal code for the address where you are registered into the Voter Information Service box for information about your riding.
  3. Click on Who are my candidates? to find a list of confirmed candidates.

The Assembly of First Nations has analyzed population data from Statistics Canada and Elections Canada’s voting results from the 2019 Federal election and has highlighted 24 ridings across Canada where a) the representation of First Nations electors in a riding (%) was higher than the margin of victory (%) for the winning candidate in 2019 or b) First Nations electors represent at least 5.0% of electors in a riding and the difference between the margin of victory (%) for the winning candidate in 2019 and the representation of First Nations electors (%) was less than 5.

Below are 24 districts that could determine the outcome of the election if First Nations participated actively. All parties should consider the role that First Nations issues and electors play in the potential role of ‘kingmaker’ in the upcoming September 20, 2021 election. In this list, 10 seats are held by Liberals, 8 by New Democrats, 5 by Conservatives, and 1 by the Bloc Québécois.

How to vote

To vote, you must be a Canadian citizen, be at least 18 years old on election day and prove your identity and address. Your health and safety is our priority—measures are in place to keep you safe, no matter how you choose to vote.

Plan early. During a pandemic, things can take a bit more time. Make a plan and choose the voting option that works best for you. You can vote almost any time.

  • Vote on election day: Vote at your assigned polling station on election day, Monday, September 20, 2021. Polls will be open for 12 hours (hours vary by time zone). To find your polling station, check your voter information card or use our Voter Information Service.
  • Vote on advance polling days: Vote at your assigned polling station on the days listed below from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Know the difference between federal and provincial voting. To find your polling station, check your voter information card or use our Voter Information Service.
    • Friday, September 10;
    • Saturday, September 11;
    • Sunday, September 12;
    • Monday, September 13.
  • Vote by mail: To vote by mail, apply online or at any Elections Canada office across Canada. Don’t wait – deadlines apply. You must apply before Tuesday, September 14, 6:00 p.m. You will vote using the special ballot process. Once you have applied to vote by special ballot, you can’t change your mind and vote at advance polls or on election day.
 
  • Vote at any Elections Canada office: There are over 500 Elections Canada offices open across Canada. Vote at any one of them before Tuesday, September 14, 6:00 p.m. You will vote using the special ballot process. Elections Canada offices are open seven days a week:
    • Monday to Friday: 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
    • Saturday: 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
    • Sunday: noon to 4:00 p.m.

Find the Elections Canada office nearest to you.

For more information, please contact the Policy and Communications Department:

Chris Hoyos
Director of Policy and Communications
Chris.Hoyos@coo.org

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