Saskatoon Tribal Council wants more First Nations voters

The chief of the Saskatoon Tribal Council wants First Nations people to get out and vote in the upcoming provincial election.

While First Nations people came out to vote in large numbers in the last federal election, it's not clear whether that momentum will continue.

"For the last number of years our First Nations people haven't been engaged in the mainstream political system," Chief Felix Thomas said. "We think that everybody deserves to be represented."

The tribal council has already held information sessions on voting at the White Buffalo Youth Lodge, the Saskatoon Food Bank and the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technology.

The tribal council has also hired people to go door-to-door, giving information on how to register to vote.

Thomas said he especially wants young people to get involved in the electoral system.

With 2,200 aboriginal students at the University of Saskatchewan and 600 attending Saskatchewan Polytechnic's Saskatoon campus, young indigenous voters can be a sizable force,Thomas said

"That's a big voting bloc," he said. "What we're doing is concentrating on getting them information, [on] how to get registered and how to vote."

The tribal council is also asking all political parties to respond to policy questions that matter to First Nations communities, including questions abouthousing, health, education and justice.

Thomas is also planning on rolling out the initiative during Saskatoon's next municipal election in October.