THUNDER BAY – POLITICS – Canadians will be heading to the polls this fall, after Prime Minister Stephen Harper requested Governor General David Johnston dissolve Parliament on Aug. 2. The federal election will be held on Oct. 19, 2015.
This will be the longest campaign in recent history – lasting a total of 78 days.
The leaders of the four main political parties running for the role of Prime Minster of Canada are:
Stephen Harper – Conservative Party
Thomas Mulcair – New Democratic Party
Justin Trudeau – Liberal Party
Elizabeth May – Green Party
As of Aug. 10, federal candidates running in the Timmins – James Bay district (which includes Peawanuck) include incumbent Charlie Angus (New Democratic Party), Todd Lever (Liberal Party), and Max Kennedy (Green Party). The Conservative Party has yet to announce a candidate for the riding.
Candidates running in the Kenora district include incumbent Greg Rickford (Conservative Party), Ember McKillop (Green Party), Bob Nault (Liberal Party), and Howard Hampton (New Democratic Party).
Candidates running in the Thunder Bay – Superior North district include incumbent Bruce Hyer (Green Party), Richard Harvey or Florence Bailey (Conservative Party), Patty Hadju (Liberal Party), Andrew Foulds (New Democratic Party), Tony Gallo (Libertarian Party).
Nominations for federal candidates will close on Sept. 28.
Changes to Election Act and Voter Requirements
With the Conservative Party’s introduction of the ‘Fair Elections Act’ in 2014, several changes have been made to the Canadian Elections Act.
Some key changes include:
- Your Voter Information Card (VIC) can no longer be used as identification.
- Vouching has been replaced by “Swearing an Oath” – To swear an oath for another voter you must have ID that proves your home address and identity, and can only do so for one other voter.
- Elections Canada can no longer participate in “Get out the Vote”
If you have any questions about voting in the federal election you can phone Elections Canada at 1-800-463-6868 or visit elections.ca.
More information is also available from the Assembly of First Nations (AFN): Aaron Asselstine – 613-241-6789 (x 234) or aasselstine@afn.ca
For information on advanced voter registration (online or by mail), identification requirements, and letter of confirmation of residence, visit the AFN’s Federal and Election Voting Information page at http://nationtalk.ca/story/afn-federal-election-and-voting-information
There are also changes to the identification that can be used to vote.
For a full list of valid identification (listed in English and Moose Cree, as well as Ojibwa and Oji-Cree) visit http://www.elections.ca/vot/ids/abo/ID-Moose-Cree.pdf , http://www.elections.ca/vot/ids/abo/ID-Ojibway.pdf , http://www.elections.ca/vot/ids/abo/ID-Oji-Cree.pdf
By Pam Chookomoolin (Peawanuck Journalist with the Indigenous Reporters Program)
