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Decentralized Democracy

House Bill

Bill C-297

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 22, 2022
An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act (Indigenous languages)
  • Bill C-297, also known as the An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act (Indigenous languages), aims to make the voting process more accessible for Indigenous electors. The bill proposes that in certain situations, ballots should be printed in Indigenous languages. This means that in electoral districts located on Indigenous land, the Chief Electoral Officer has the authority to require that all ballots be prepared and printed in both official languages (English and French) as well as the Indigenous language(s) spoken by the electors. The appropriate writing systems for each language, including syllabics if applicable, will be used. The bill also states that if an elector requests a special ballot and asks for it to be printed in an Indigenous language, the Chief Electoral Officer must fulfill this request. Overall, the purpose of the bill is to promote inclusivity and enhance the democratic participation of Indigenous communities in ele
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Context: House Hansard - 94 - Jun/22/22
Ms. Lori Idlout (Nunavut, NDP)
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-297, An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act (Indigenous languages). [Member spoke in Inuktitut and provided the following text:] ᓯᕗᓪᓕᕐᒥᒃ ᐊᒃᓱᐊᓗ ᖁᔭᓕᒍᒪᕗᖓ ᒪᓕᒐᓕᐅᖅᑎᖅᔪᐊᕐᒃ ᐊᑦᒪᓐᑕᓐ- ᒍᕆᔅᐹᒧᑦ, ᐊᐃᒃᐲᒪᑦ ᑖᒃᓱᒥᖓ ᒪᓕᒐᒃᓴᒃᒥᒃ. ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᒪᑦᓇᓪᓗᐊᕕᒃ ᒧᒥᓛᖅ ᖃᖅᑲᖅ ᒪᓕᒐᓕᐅᖅᑎᖅᔪᐊᖑᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒧ ᐱᒋᐊᖅᑎᓚᐅᖅᑕᖓ ᑲᔪᓯᑎᓐᓇᓱᒃᑲᒃᑯ [Member provided the following translation:] First off, I would like to very much thank my colleague, the member for Edmonton Griesbach, for seconding my bill. This bill builds upon the great work started by my predecessor MP for Nunavut, Mumilaaq Qaqqaq, and I thank her. [English] She said: Mr. Speaker, first off, I would like to very much thank my colleague, the member for Edmonton Griesbach, for seconding my bill. This bill builds upon the great work started by my predecessor MP for Nunavut, Mumilaaq Qaqqaq, and I thank her. Nunavummiut and other speakers of indigenous languages have an inherent right to receive information and cast a ballot in their own language. In the 2019 election, voter turnout for indigenous people living on reserves was 51.8%. In Nunavut, which is almost entirely indigenous, voter turnout was under 50%, well below the Canadian average of 76% voter turnout. The federal government's report in PROC recognized that indigenous peoples, especially elders, would face significant barriers to voting in a COVID election. How can it be that in Nunavut, where the first language of 46% of the voters is Inuktitut or Inuinnaqtun, ballots are only in English and French? The Crown and the federal government have an obligation to work with and build trust with the indigenous communities and people throughout Canada. This bill, if enacted, would represent a meaningful step towards that building of trust and respecting of our inherent rights, and would hopefully lead to greater participation in our democratic electoral process by indigenous peoples throughout Canada.
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