Site MenuFacilitating First Nation Voter Participation for the 42nd Federal General Election
Executive Summary
The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) was contracted by Elections Canada (EC) to provide critical support during the 42nd Canadian federal general election (GE). This work included supporting EC information outreach efforts to First Nation electors about when, where, and how to register and vote as well as helping to fill research gaps related to First Nation electors.
The primary goal of this report is to provide a detailed overview of AFN activities delivered as an EC contractor during the 42nd GE. The report outlines each of the key steps included in the AFN-EC Statement of Work and details some of the key findings and results.
A second, yet equally important, goal of this report is to further the discussion around First Nation electoral participation by contributing recommendations based on the AFN's experience as a First Nation–representative organization. A key function of the AFN is to review public policy and to provide policy recommendations on behalf of its membership. This report identifies 10 recommendations that would have a positive impact on First Nation electors and therefore serve to strengthen the Canadian democratic process by making it more inclusive and accessible.
It is important to note that the AFN recommendations are not a deliverable of the AFN-EC contract or Statement of Work; as such, they are not EC recommendations. Rather, they are AFN recommendations and are meant to be viewed as such and read alongside the work outlined below.
This report begins by outlining the recommendations and will provide an analysis of each recommendation in Section 4.