A Newfoundland Mi'kmaq chief wants to organize all the Mi'kmaq people in the province to vote together as a block in the upcoming provincial election, but his plan is getting some opposition.
Burt Alexander — chief of the Ktaqamkuk Mi'kmaq Alliance, which represents about 7,000 Mi'kmaq on the west coast of Newfoundland — said he believes getting all Mi'kmaq to vote the same way is the only way to ensure the community's concerns are heard on a political level.
"The question is, what is the best interests of our people as a whole?" Alexander said. "We think to have better representation at the provincial and federal level would certainly move our initiatives more forward than they have been."
Alexander is not yet saying which party should get the Mi'kmaq vote. He said his organization will do more research before making that decision.
Mi'kmaq too widely dispersed, says head of Indian federation
Brendan Sheppard, president of the Federation of Newfoundland Indians, disagreed with Alexander's strategy, saying he doesn't think block voting will work.
"The Mi'kmaq population is widely dispersed in this province," Sheppard said. "They can vote for a party but it doesn't necessarily mean that vote is all in one particular area. I don't see it having any great impact, quite frankly."
Alexander, Chief Misel Joe of the Conne River Mi'kmaq community and other First Nation leaders are expected to meet next week to discuss future political strategies.
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| Party | Elected | Leading | Total | Vote Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PC | 43 | 0 | 43 | 69.56% |
| LIB | 3 | 0 | 3 | 21.98% |
| NDP | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8.21% |
| OTH | 0 | 0 | 0 | .25% |
| Last Update:October 9, 10:58:12 PM NDT | ||||
| Unofficial results were updated at the time shown. For more recent results, visit Elections NL. The CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites. External links will open in a new window. |
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