When I first started this blogging assignment I was shocked at how little information was out there on the different issues that Aboriginal older adults encounter as they age. The more I have researched this topic the more aware I have become of the severe under representation of Aboriginal persons in Canadian institutions. Within health care there is a serious problem of cultural competency among health care professionals; various competency testing methods do not take into account these peoples’ lived experiences. Home care and the palliative care program are under developed in the North and cannot meet the needs of the people. Food availability is scarce in the North and in down town city locations preventing older adults to have the opportunity to have nutritious food at a reasonable cost. The people who work in Canadian Universities do not represent the population of Canadians, and unfortunately, the only Aboriginal professors I have ever encountered in the past 5 years have been in the Faculty of Social Work or in the Native Studies department. In our Canadian government, which is supposed to mirror the make-up of society, Aboriginal people and their perspectives are not reflected in the structure of our democratic government. We make laws, pass policies, and structure society without the input from a large majority of Aboriginal peoples, but we expect them to abide by it even when it is not compatible with their belief systems or life experiences.
I was reading an article written by Hunter (2003) in which she outlined the lack of Aboriginal participation at the voting polls. She raises some very interesting points that highlight the need for more inclusion of Aboriginal issues in the current government agenda, by failing to take Aboriginal issues into account during the campaigns potential Aboriginal voters are deterred from voting as they do not feel represented by any of the candidates. Hunter notes that:
The federal government, focused on fiscal restraint and reforming the administrative processes of Indian Act communities,23 has not given priority to addressing Aboriginal electoral participation in federal political institutions. Because Aboriginal people do not generally have the concentrated populations necessary to collectively affect voting outcomes, there is no direct incentive to place Aboriginal issues on the political agenda (Retrieved from elections.ca, on April 15, 2011).
My personal experience of working in a personal care home has taught me that during election time the candidates come to the care home. Why is that? Because in Canada the largest group of voters are ages 65 plus. In Canadian society senior citizens are the largest group, proportionately, who vote. What about Aboriginal seniors? There are many barriers in place that often prevent Aboriginal seniors from coming out to the polls. Hunter (2003) outlines four main historical barriers that are still entrenched in the historical memory of Aboriginal people: 1) this historical use of voting as a means to assimilate Aboriginal people who chose to exercise their right to vote; 2) the neglect on the part of the Canadian electoral system to take into consideration the Aboriginal community’s concerns; 3) the lack of Aboriginal representation in the political party system; 4) the inconsideration on the part of the federal electoral administration to meet the needs of Aboriginal voters and abide by employment equity standards. These four barriers are etched into the collective memory of Aboriginal people and continue to contribute to the high voter apathy among this group of Canadians.
I do not want this blog to focus only on the negative, because I do believe things are changing. I believe that Aboriginal people’s voices are beginning to be heard. I believe that the older generation’s experiences are being taken into account. We are only just beginning the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in which the heart breaking stories of past generations are being shared for all to hear. I wanted to find a positive example of Aboriginal representation in the current government. I looked no further than Winnipeg South’s Conservative MP Rod Bruinooge. Rod Bruinooge was born in Thomson Manitboa to a Dutch father and Aboriginal mother (Retrieved from www.voterod.com, April 15, 2011). He has a Métis background and has been very active in Aboriginal initiatives in Winnipeg for the past decade. From 2003 – 2005 he worked as the Director for the Winnipeg Aboriginal Film Festival. In 2006 he was appointed as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians. Rod Bruinooge strives to incorporate his Aboriginal ancestry into his current way of life and political career.
I would strongly recommend watching this video of Judge Murray Sinclair. As I watched this video I became aware of the inherent differences between Aboriginal approaches to justice/government/systems and the dominant Euro Canadian approach. I feel that the views expressed in this video depict the tension Aboriginal people experience as they attempt to bridge the gap between their culture and Canadian culture. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LoXRW8_R9o
Thanks for reading,
Michelle Kehler
References
Bruinooge, R. (2011). Retrieved from: www.voterod.com, April 15, 2011
Hunter, A. (2003). Aboriginal participation in elections: Exploring the issues of Aboriginal representation in federal elections. Electoral Insight, Retrieved from: elections.ca, on April 15, 2011
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