SCO Launches Rock the Vote Campaign
As Canada’s federal election campaign heats up, the Southern Chiefs’ Organization (SCO) has launched a “Rock the Vote” campaign to encourage southern First Nations citizens to get involved and have a voice in the democratic process.
SCO is calling on citizens to rock the vote by casting their ballots either in the advance polls from April 18 to 21, or on election day, April 28, 2025.
Read more about our campaign here.



Voting
Elections Canada has an information page for Indigenous electors. This page is designed to make the voting process more accessible and inclusive. It provides important details on how to register to vote, plan your vote, identification (ID) requirements, and other essential information.
For detailed information on how to vote, you can also visit the Elections Canada webpage.
SCO has highlighted the key voting requirements for our citizens below.
Who can vote?
To vote in the federal election, you must:
- Be a Canadian citizen
- Be at least 18 years old on election day
- Show proof of your identity and address
How to register to vote?
Ensure you are registered to vote using your current address. You have the following options to register to vote:
Before you go to vote:
- Online: Use the Online Voter Registration Service to register or update your address.
- At your local Elections Canada office: Find your local office using the Voter Information Service or call: 1-800-463-6868
- By mail: Call 1-800-463-6868 to request a registration form (deadlines apply).
When you go to vote:
- At your assigned polling station: You can register on election day or during advance polls. Make sure to bring acceptable ID.
- At any Elections Canada office: Go to any office by 6 pm on Tuesday, April 22 and bring acceptable ID.
ID to vote?
You have three options for identification (ID) to prove your identity and address.
Option 1: Show one piece of ID
- Your driver’s licence
- Any government-issued ID (federal, provincial, territorial, or local) with your photo, name, and current address.
Option 2: Show two pieces of ID
Both pieces of ID must have your name. At least one must show your current address.
Examples include:
- Indian status card, Band membership card, Métis card, or card from an Inuit local authority
- Letter confirming your residence from a First Nations Band or reserve, Inuit local authority, or Alberta Métis Settlement authority
- Voter information card
- Utility bill (electricity, water, telephone, cable, etc.)
- Fishing, trapping, or hunting licence
- Student card or school correspondence
Option 3: If you don’t have ID
You can still vote if you declare your identity and address in writing and have someone assigned to your polling station vouch for you. The person vouching must prove their identity and address.
When can you vote?
You can vote during advance polls or on election day.
Advance polls:
- Vote at your assigned advance polling station in your district from 9 am to 9 pm on April 18, 19, 20, or 21.
- To find your advance poll location, check your voter information card or use the Voter Information Service.
Election Day:
- Vote at your assigned polling station on election day, Monday, April 28.
- In Manitoba, polls will remain open from 8:30 am to 8:30 pm.
Where can you vote?
You can vote in person or by mail, no matter where you are.
In person:
- At any Elections Canada office by 6 pm on April 22.
- At your assigned advance polling station in your riding from 9 am to 9 pm on April 18, 19, 20, or 21.
- At your assigned polling station in your riding on election day, April 28.
By mail:
If you will be away during advance and election day polls, you can vote by mail. This option is also available for Canadians who live abroad.
- To vote by mail, apply by 6 pm on April 22.
- Make sure your completed ballot reaches Elections Canada by election day, April 28.
Free Resources to Encourage Voting in Your First Nation
- Organize your own voting campaign! Download our “rock the vote” signs here.
- Public service announcement: Grand Chief Daniels encourages SCO citizens to vote.
Listen here:
Your Vote Matters



Your vote is more important than ever. First Nations voters have the potential to influence federal election results in 36 ridings across Canada, according to an analysis of census data by the Assembly of First Nations (AFN).
The AFN report, “First Nations Voters Can Decide the 2025 Federal Election Outcomes,“ highlights key ridings where the percentage of First Nations voters has increased or where they make up 10 per cent or more of all eligible voters. These ridings can have a significant impact on the overall election results. In southern Manitoba, these ridings include:
- Winnipeg West: 2.9 per cent
- Winnipeg Centre: 10.5 per cent
- Riding Mountain: 14.1 per cent
For more information, you can read the full report on the AFN’s website or click here.
Key Priorities for SCO
SCO has identified several key issues that candidates must address, as they will have a direct impact on First Nations. These priorities include, but are not limited to:
The severe infrastructure deficit in our Nations
- As of February 2025, 34 drinking water advisories remain in 32 First Nations. Safe, reliable water access is still not guaranteed for our Nations.
- Lack of essential infrastructure including housing, education, health care, and digital connectivity, has deepened inequality in First Nations.
- Lack of adequate infrastructure further highlights the gap compared to services available to most Canadians.
The need for more affordable housing for Elders
- The direct and generational impacts of colonization and systemic racism have often made First Nation Elders vulnerable when it comes to housing and economic security.
- Over 25 per cent of First Nations households experience overcrowding, a rate nearly seven times higher than non-Indigenous households. These homes are often housing that includes our Elders.
- According to the Assembly of First Nations, close to 160,000 new homes are needed to address the housing crisis in First Nations.
- Overcrowding, mold, and deteriorating infrastructure require immediate attention.
Continued systemic racism in health care and policing
Health care
- First Nations people experience lower health outcomes than non-Indigenous peoples in Canada.
- There is a documented 11-year and growing gap in life expectancy between First Nation citizens and all others living in Manitoba.
- Canada needs to support SCO in our efforts to decolonize health care and establish culturally responsive and enhanced health care services for our member Nations.
Policing
- When it comes policing in Manitoba, First Nations people “believe they are being provided with inappropriate levels and quality of policing.”
- The most frequent complaints are that police forces are not in touch with the culture and needs of the First Nations they serve.
- First Nations people continue to experience racism, cultural insensitivity, and lack of accountability when it comes to dealing with policing in Canada.
- The federal government must work with us to fully adopt First Nation community-based policing as a strategy for protecting our Nations.
Read SCO’s reports on racism within Manitoba’s police services and health care system, and how they impact southern First Nations, by clicking here.
Honouring Treaty rights and self determination
- For First Nations, Treaties were supposed to establish peace, friendship, and respectful sharing of the land when settlers arrived.
- The Crown, however, claimed authority over the land they called Canada, under the Doctrine of Discovery. This was a Christian legal principle that allowed European explorers to conquer lands of non‐Christians, enslave, or kill them, and claim the land as theirs.
- Despite having Treaties in place, our children were forcibly removed from their Nations and homes. First Nation people were deprived of food and water. Our citizens were punished for speaking our languages and practicing our cultural traditions.
- Despite Canada’s best attempts, we are not going anywhere. First Nations and colonial governments can, and will, prosper if we return to the original goals of meeting Nation‐to‐Nation in Treaty.
- During this federal election campaign, we need to remind the candidates that American and Canadian tariffs ignore our Treaty rights and centuries-old trade routes.
- SCO demands that our federal Treaty partner include us at the bargaining table during the current and difficult political climate in North America.
- The federal government needs to revisit and truly honour our Treaties as we all work towards self-determination for our Nations.
- Our Nations must, and will, regain control over our lands and resources, all while aligning with principles of the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
The importance of ending of the second-generation cut-off
- The “second-generation cut-off” under The Indian Act, introduced as part of Bill C-31, prevents First Nations people with status from passing entitlement to their children and grandchildren if the parent is not also entitled to status.
- This policy is based in systemic racism. It was designed to eventually disconnect our peoples from their cultures, lands, and Nations.
- SCO has publicly called for significant changes to the second-generation cut off.
- We are calling on the federal government to replace the second-generation cut off with a one-parent rule, which is the standard for transmission of Canadian citizenship.
Know Your Candidates
It’s important that First Nations and our allies are well-informed about where the candidates and their parties stand on the issues that matter most to us. Our votes can shape the future of our Nations and ensure our concerns are addressed.
SCO encourages all citizens to take the time to learn about the candidates running in the federal race. The decisions these candidates make will have a lasting impact on our Treaty relationships and affect your everyday life.
You can find a full list of all the candidates running in the upcoming federal election on Elections Canada’s confirmed candidates list.
SCO is also providing a short synopsis of issues of importance to First Nations people outlined by the three major party leaders. The three major parties in the election are the Conservative Party, the Liberal Party, and the New Democratic Party:

Mark Carney, Leader of Liberal Party of Canada
Mark Carney has pledged to:
- Fix the child welfare system and address housing needs for Indigenous peoples.
- Partner with First Nations to foster economic reconciliation in line with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
- Double Canada’s rate of residential housing construction over the next decade to nearly 500,000 new homes per year.
- Announced that his government will eliminate GST for first-time homebuyers on homes sold at or under $1 million.

Pierre Poilievre, Leader of Conservative Party of Canada
Pierre Poilievre has pledged to:
- Dismantle the “Ottawa knows best” approach, which he believes has resulted in harmful policies for First Nations.
- Cut federal bureaucracy, ensuring that revenue from resource extraction on Indigenous lands is more directly used to improve the lives of Indigenous peoples.
- Poilievre announced a Conservative plan to fund recovery treatment for 50,000 people facing addiction.
- Create a new criminal offence for assaulting an intimate partner and passing a law to impose the strictest possible bail conditions for anyone accused of intimate partner violence.

Jagmeet Singh, Leader of New Democratic Party
Jagmeet Singh pledged to:
- Use the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to guide the NDP in forging a path of justice, where the federal government and Indigenous communities work as partners.
- The NDP plans to advocate for the human rights of Indigenous peoples, ensuring that economic development on Indigenous lands benefits Indigenous communities.
- Put national rent control in place to protect tenants from unfair rent increases. Mr. Singh said his party would cut taxes by increasing the basic personal amount of income exempted from tax to $19,500 and reduce the GST.



Your vote is critical and can make a real difference. By voting in Canada’s upcoming federal election, you have the chance to stand up for your Nation and ensure your voice is heard on the issues that matter most to First Nations.
The decisions made in this election will affect our lives, our rights, and our future. Whether it’s addressing important issues like health care, housing, or education, your vote helps shape the direction of our country.
Get informed, make a plan, and be sure to vote. Help create a better future for us all!


