Put Indigenous Languages on Elections Canada Ballots

Respect Indigenous Voters

In Nunavut, 2/3 voters speak Inuit languages, but only English and French are on our ballots when we vote in federal elections. This is wrong. Indigenous peoples in Nunavut and across Canada must be able to vote in our own languages.

The government can fix this right now by accepting my amendments to their COVID elections act, Bill C-19.

Email Minister LeBlanc today and tell him to put reconciliation on the ballot.

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Dear Minister LeBlanc,

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Recently, Mumilaaq Qaqqaq, MP for Nunavut, tabled a Private Member's Bill that would amend the Canada Elections Act to ensure that Indigenous voters are able to cast ballots in their own languages.

I strongly support this initiative and urge you and all Parliamentarians to support the passage of this bill.

As you know, PMBs often face a long and winding road to become law, but there is a way that you can act now.  You have the power to ensure that Indigenous languages are on Elections Canada ballots from coast-to-coast-to-coast during the next election.

This week, MPs Daniel Blaikie and Mumilaaq Qaqqaq will be putting forward amendments to Bill C-19, which is currently before the PROC committee, that would see ballots translated into Indigenous languages during the next election. As the minister responsible for this bill, I am urging you to ensure that these amendments are accepted by the government members of this committee.

Indigenous voters face substantial barriers to their full participation in the electoral process. During the 2019 election, the turnout rate for Indigenous voters living on reserves was just 51.8% compared to 67% for other Canadians.  The government is right to recognize that a COVID-19 election will create additional barriers for Indigenous voters, especially elders.

This is why I believe that it is imperative that we act now to make sure that we remove as many of these barriers as possible for Indigenous voters during the next election. While it is only one such step, ensuring that ballots are translated into Indigenous languages would make the electoral process more accessible in ridings like Nunavut, where 64.5% of voter's first languages are Inuktitut or Inuinnaqtun, and across Canada.

I strongly believe that accepting and implementing these amendments will serve as a much-needed step towards true reconciliation.

I will be watching the committee proceedings closely and I look forward to seeing how the government’s committee members vote.

Minister LeBlanc, please put reconciliation on the ballot.

Sincerely,
[your name will go here]
[your email address will go here] [your location will go here]

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