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Information for Aboriginal Voters

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Greetings to all the members of the National Association of
Friendship Centres

We are pleased to inform you that following a recent meeting of our two organizations, Elections Canada and the National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC) have agreed to work together to disseminate information about the electoral process and facilitate information sharing within communities that are served by members of the NAFC.

Over the past 15 years, Elections Canada has endeavoured to reach out to First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities to make the electoral process more welcoming and accessible. Elections Canada has consulted and partnered with Aboriginal organizations to facilitate the participation of Aboriginal electors in federal elections.

This information kit contains a number of items of interest to members of the communities served by your Friendship Centre. Included is information on the voting process – how, when and where to register and vote. This information is also available on the Elections Canada Web site in 11 Aboriginal languages.

Conducting a federal election is a massive operation that requires the services of numerous election workers. A large number of job opportunities are available. Please see the Employment in Electoral Administration backgrounder for detailed information on election jobs.

Through a number of field-level initiatives – including Aboriginal community relations officers and the Aboriginal Elder and Youth Program – Elections Canada has developed measures by which Aboriginal staff and volunteers will be available to assist members of your community before and during an election.

For further information, please call Elections Canada's toll-free number, 1-800-463-6868, or visit the Elections Canada Web site at www.elections.ca.

Elections Canada has asked its Aboriginal community relations officers to make their local Friendship Centres one of the first stops in their community outreach visits. Friendship Centres will be invited to play a central role by serving as gathering places for election information sessions, displayers of voter information materials and sources of information for election employment positions.

The 39th general election is an opportunity for First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples to make a choice about the right to participate – and the right to be heard. The National Association of Friendship Centres and Elections Canada are delighted to be working together toward this goal. We hope that you and your colleagues at the Friendship Centre will lend your support to this most worthwhile endeavour.

Vera Pawis Tabobondung
President
National Association of Friendship Centres