Independent Native Voice facts for kids

Independent Native Voice, also known as Native Voice, was a political group in Manitoba, Canada. It was formed in 1995 to focus on issues important to Indigenous peoples. This group ran three people in the 1995 provincial election. Native Voice was not officially registered with Elections Manitoba. Because of this, their candidates were listed as "independents" on the voting ballot. After the election, some people claimed that the Progressive Conservative (PC) party helped fund Native Voice. They thought this was done to take votes away from the New Democratic Party (NDP) in close election areas.

Who Ran for Native Voice?

The leader of Independent Native Voice was Nelson Contois. He ran in the Swan River area of Manitoba. Nelson's daughter, Carey Contois, also ran in Dauphin. The third candidate was Darryl Sutherland, who ran in Interlake.

Other Groups Focused on Indigenous Issues

In the 1995 election, Independent Native Voice was one of two groups focused on Indigenous issues. The other group was the First Peoples Party (FPP). It was led by Jerry Fontaine. He is the nephew of Phil Fontaine, who later became a well-known leader for First Nations people in Canada.

The First Peoples Party and Independent Native Voice were not officially connected. The FPP was not part of the later discussions about funding. However, Nelson and Carey Contois did work with the FPP during the election. They ran with support from both groups. Darryl Sutherland did not join the FPP. He was not in regular contact with the Contoises after he decided to run.

What Were the Concerns?

Later, reports came out that Darryl Sutherland told Jerry Fontaine something interesting. Sutherland said that people from the Progressive Conservative party had offered him money. They offered at least $3,000 if he would run in the election. Fontaine told Sutherland to share his story with the news, but Sutherland did not do it at that time.

On April 22, 1995, the Winnipeg Free Press newspaper wrote about these claims. They quoted Allan Aitken, a Progressive Conservative organizer. He said he helped Sutherland and the Contoises set up their campaigns. Aitken said he only wanted to make sure "everyone ha[d] an equal shot at running." He denied that his actions broke any laws.

Bill Uruski, a former NDP politician, was also quoted in the same article. He thought Aitken's help might have been a plan. He believed it was meant "to undermine NDP support in the native communities." Two days later, Sutherland told another newspaper, the Interlake Spectator, that he had accepted help from Progressive Conservative organizers early on. But he said he later kept his distance from them. He insisted that his decision to run was real and honest. This issue did not get much attention during the election campaign itself.

Election Results

Independent Native Voice did not win many votes in the election. The group received a total of 518 votes across the three areas. Nelson Contois received 118 votes (1.36%). Carey Contois received 111 votes (1.15%). Darryl Sutherland received 289 votes (3.90%).

The New Democratic Party (NDP) won all three areas where Native Voice candidates ran. However, the Progressive Conservatives came very close to winning in Swan River. They were only thirty-six votes behind. Across the province, the Progressive Conservatives, led by Gary Filmon, won the election again. They formed their second straight majority government. The NDP complained to Elections Manitoba about the Native Voice candidates. However, no official charges were made.

Election Numbers

See also

• List of Manitoba political parties