Miawpukek chief hopes to increase Indigenous vote in provincial election

On the eve of the 2019 provincial election, the chief of the Miawpukek First Nation is encouraging more ofits members to cast ballots and turn the tide on historically low voter turnouts on the Conne River reserve.

In the 2015 election, only about 85 of the 600 eligible voters in the First Nation voted,said Mi'sel Joe. Hechalkedsome of that poor showing upto a "disconnect"people feel toward the provincial government.

"We're trying to make people realize that even though we're a federal reserve, we need to be connected to the province, because we deal with the province on a daily basis," he said.

Joe pointed to a variety of issues the reserve and the province go back and forth on, including a planned expansion to the reserve's borders, local aquaculture expansion, and the impending repatriation of Beothuk remains from Scotland.

• Remains of 2 Beothuk people to be transferred from Scotland to Canada

"If you're not going to vote, then we're not going to be as strong in terms of our lobby work that we need to have done," he said.

More Mi'kmaq MHAs

The Miawpukek First Nation falls under the provincial district of Fortune Bay-Cape La Hune, which has two candidates in the running.

The Liberal campaign bus made a stop on the reserve, with the district candidate, Elvis Loveless, and party leader Dwight Ball. Mi'sel Joe said he also met with the PC Party candidate,Charlene Walsh, but that party leader,Ches Crosbie, had not been there in person.

We need to have more aboriginalpeople sitting in the house of government. That helps everybody, not just aboriginalpeople.- Mi'selJoe

While Joe said the First Nation maintains good relations with the province, he'd ultimately like to see one of its members make it to the House of Assembly.

"Iwould love to see Aboriginal people get involved more than we have," he said, giving kudos to other Indigenous politicians in the province, like Randy Edmunds, who is running for re-election in the district of Torngat Mountains.

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"We need to have more Aboriginalpeople sitting in the House of government. That helps everybody, not just Aboriginalpeople," said Joe.

Joe himself has no plans to delve into provincial politics at the moment.

"One of these days, who knows?" he laughed."If i wasn't so old, Imight try it myself."

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