‘This is a call:’ Indigenous candidates reflect on running in the federal election

A sample ballot box is seen ahead of the 2019 federal election at Elections Canada's offices in Gatineau, Que., on Friday, Sept. 20, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Maintaining reconciliation efforts between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities, answering calls to help constituents, and uniting Canadians are some reasons Indigenous political hopefuls say they’re running in the federal election.

The number of Indigenous candidates on the ballot has dipped from the 2021 campaign, which saw a record number of First Nations, Inuit and Métis candidates.

An analysis shows at least 55 self-identified Indigenous candidates this year compared with the estimated 75 in the last election.

The Canadian Press reached out to each party and analyzed their websites. Some did not respond, and the Conservatives and NDP have not said how or if they’re vetting Indigenous identity.

Those running in the April 28 vote say it has never been more important for Indigenous people in federal politics.

One expert says she’s not surprised to see interest waning for Indigenous candidates to jump into federal politics as this is a snap election during a trade war with the United States and there has been minimal attention on Indigenous issues.

“We are that much farther from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s reporting in 2015 and also from the initial reports of unmarked graves at several different former residential school locations, which really reflected the high point in the public’s attention to issues affecting Indigenous Peoples in Canada,” says Julie Simmons, an associate professor of political science at the University of Guelph.

Here’s a look at some of the candidates:

Conservatives

First-time candidate James T. Arreak, an Inuk from Pond Inlet, is hoping to turn the territory blue for the first time in 10 years. The NDP have held the territory’s sole seat since 2019.

Arreak said his father taught him the importance of an education and giving back to the community.

“Running for politics is my way of helping or wanting to help people.”

He said the Conservative party’s platform lines up with his values, including the responsible management of resources, respecting future generations and collaborating on innovative solutions.

If elected, Arreak plans to bring his culture and experiences to Ottawa to advocate for Nunavummiut.

“This is why I have pushed my Inuit values in the front of my campaign because this is what I’m going to use to demonstrate to Ottawa that I’m here to be an Inuit voice.”

The party did not respond to requests asking for the number of its Indigenous candidates. The Canadian Press found seven.

Liberals

It has been a decade since Rebecca Chartrand put her name on the ballot in Manitoba’s northernmost riding, Churchill-Keewatinook Aski.

During the 2015 election, she came close to unseating longtime NDP member of Parliament Niki Ashton, with 42 per cent of votes to Ashton’s 45 per cent.

Chartrand, who is Anishinaabe, Inninew, Dakota and Métis, has held various leadership roles in education and non-profit work. She is currently president and CEO of Indigenous Strategy, a management consulting firm.

Chartrand said the party asked her to run again because she’s known as a bridge-builder between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.

“I live and breathe reconciliation as a First Nations woman,” she said.

“This isn’t a job. This is a call. This is about finding a sense of purpose and place in which we can create better outcomes for not only Indigenous people but the rest of Canada.”

The riding is one of the largest areas in Canada, with Indigenous people accounting for 75 per cent of the population.

Chartrand said Indigenous voices need to be at the table in Ottawa. Ashton is non-Indigenous.

“If we can’t represent ourselves as Indigenous people (in the House of Commons), then where in this country?”

Chartrand said the Liberals have shown a real commitment to reconciliation and that the progress made over the past decade can’t be halted.

Any Indigenous candidate who’s elected needs to maintain the momentum of addressing historic harms done to Indigenous communities by policymakers, said Frank Deer, a professor in the faculty of education at the University of Manitoba.

“Many areas of public endeavour have allowed reconciliation to inform what they’ve done. We’ve continued to discover things about our past and our present.”

The Liberal party did not respond to requests asking for the number of its Indigenous candidates. The Canadian Press found 15.

NDP

Incumbent MP Blake Desjarlais has come to view his work in politics as a form of harm reduction.

“(My) work in Parliament is to make sure the worst outcomes for Indigenous people do not occur without opposition. It is deeply important for Indigenous people to not only understand the laws that are being made around them or about them, but to also influence their implementation.”

Desjarlais, who was raised on the Fishing Lake Métis Settlement in northern Alberta, made history in 2021 when he became the first openly two-spirit member of Parliament after winning the seat in Edmonton Griesbach.

One of his goals this time is to increase voter turnout, particularly in Indigenous communities.

Data from Elections Canada suggests voter turnout on First Nations was 44 per cent in the last election. For Inuit communities, it was 32 per cent and for Métis settlements in Alberta it was 41 per cent.

The NDP says it has 20 Indigenous candidates.

Other parties

The Green Party says it has 11 Indigenous candidates.

The Bloc Québécois says it has two.

The Peoples’ Party of Canada declined to provide a number saying, “we don’t ask our candidates their ethnic background, sex, who they sleep with or any other question related to identity politics.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 18, 2025.

Brittany Hobson, The Canadian Press