A Personal (and political) Choice
I am one of those NDN’s who vote. Not every NDN votes. In fact, I’d bet a freezer full of moose meat that most NDNs don’t vote, don’t wanna vote, and never will vote.
I get the argument against it, I’ve personally held this argument before. Indigenous Nationhood is not symbolic and to fully realize our potential as nations we must conduct ourselves as citizens (members, family, relatives, kin) of our own home communities and nations. Voting, or “being Canadian” is a threat to our nationhood because Joe and Janet Canada point to our participation as complicity, or at least, acceptance of the system meant to assimilate us. Participation in party politics confuses Joe and Janet Canada. To get where we want to go as NDNs we can’t afford to have confused people across the table from us anymore.
And I agree with this. I’ve agreed with this most of my adult life. Anishinaabe nationhood is the project for me, absolutely. And I hope that my children or grandchildren or great great grandchildren get to live their lives as free and fully liberated Inidgenous people with a grounded and full understanding of Anishinaabe nationhood in their homelands in their lifetimes. But we aren’t there yet.
Therefore.
I see voting as a political intervention and a means to having a say on who does the least amount of harm to my nation, my community, family, and those that I love.
I don’t see voting as a weakening of my inherent treaty rights, I see it as a way to engage in the partnership between Canada and my nation in Treaty Three territories. Of course, these systems are able to erode and degrade our nations and our communities and that’s why I believe, today, our participation is essential and is a form of harm reduction. This isn’t perfect, but for now, under the current system, I see it as it means to an end.
In our household, Madeline and I sit up late at night talking and dreaming of a better world for our family and casting a vote in today’s federal election is one small piece of that for which we dream.
The journey continues.
