Sask Votes 2024: Working collaboratively to build relationships and trust
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More than a decade ago, on returning to the province after working internationally to support democratic elections and being appointed Saskatchewan’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), one of my priorities was to reach out to Indigenous leaders. The objective was to work intentionally and collaboratively with leaders to build relationships of respect—relationships that would lead to strengthening the voice of Indigenous people in Saskatchewan’s electoral processes.
For me, the importance of this initiative dates to my days growing up in Regina. My family lived in a modest neighborhood in the central part of the city. Many of my schoolmates were Indigenous, who often faced challenges of poverty and racism. The experience and lessons of those years shaped me and stay with me to this day.
As CEO I have travelled the province meeting with Indigenous people on First Nations territory and in other communities. The outreach has included annual summer trips to visit Saskatchewan First Nations Chiefs and Councils in the north and across the province. Two leaders who assisted me in making contacts and opening doors have been Chief Tammy Cook Searson and Chief Peter Beatty, long-time Chiefs of Lac LaRonge First Nation and Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation respectively, to name just a couple.
In this era of Reconciliation, building bridging relationships with Indigenous communities is a national responsibility. It is something Elections Saskatchewan, our provincial election management body, takes very seriously.
