Berens River chief fights against one of Canada's lowest voter turnouts

Despite a first of-its-kind push from its chief, most people on the Berens River First Nation remain uninformed in, and disinterested with, the federal election.

In 2011, only three out of 10 people on the remote fly-in community voted — that's among the lowest turnouts in Canada, on- or off-reserve.

It's a sense of hopelessness.- Morden Everett

The average on-reserve voter turnout in 2011 was 37.6 per cent. At Berens River's lone polling station that year, the turnout was 30.5 per cent.

"Actually, I'm one of them," said Berens River Chief Jackie Everett.

"I've never voted in a federal election, ever. This is going to be my first time too. I'm very excited."

The isolated community's chief isn't surprised with the historic lack of interest, but she is pushing hard to increase interest, awareness and education in voting and has made a lofty goal for voter turnout.

"We're anticipating at least 80 to 90 per cent people voting," she said.

"We're going to provide means of transportation and we're going to do whatever we can do to get people voting."

The wilderness co-ordinator at Berens River School, Morden Everett, said the lack of voting is easy to explain.

"It's a sense of hopelessness, eh? Because a lot of young people don't have work and they drink and do drugs and sniff gas and whatever. So it's a sense of hopelessness whereby they can't create their own things to do," he said.

'He got to me when he made that statement'

Jackie Everett said for the first time, there is a sign promoting the election at the band office.

The community held a meeting for all members to talk about voting on Sept. 22. Then on Sept. 28, at a regularly scheduled meeting for Berens River students, the chief and council brought in an Elections Canada worker to do a presentation about how to vote.

"Something hit," she said. "Some kind of enthusiasm hit our community."

Or someone. Everett said she was inspired after Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde announced that he planned to vote in a federal election for the first time and urged other First Nations people to do the same.

• Bellegarde promises to vote

"'Every vote counts' and that stuck to my mind and we need to get involved," Everett said.

"I don't know if it was the respect of the higher authority figure. He's a unique person, I'll tell you. He got to me when he made that statement. And I truly believe that statement today."

'Your vote does count'

Berens River Chief Everett has taken to driving around her reserve, going door-to-door to explain to people in the community that they can vote at the local elementary school on Monday — something that many didn't know, and many still seemed unsure about after her visit.

"It's not challenging. It's all about communication. We have to take the time," she said.

"Your vote does count, you do matter in this society — that's what I try and share with them."

Berens River resident Kelly Flett is 35 years old and has never voted in a federal election.

"I only vote for my chief and council, because I don't know nothing about it," he said.

He said he didn't know if he could vote in the federal election, but knew it was the vote over "that Harper guy," referring to Conservative Leader Stephen Harper.

Flett couldn't explain why he had never voted before, but said he may vote this time.

"Probably, because you're here and I'm thinking about it now."

Feeling forgotten 

Flett also said he has never seen a federal candidate in person. Others on the reserve echoed that sense of feeling forgotten.

"I guess the only time I see, like, Niki Ashton only comes around once every election time. Don't really see her around," said Susie Whiteway, 46, who has never voted in a federal election.

"That's when we see all the people that are running, is election time. Then you don't see them at all."

Ashton is the NDP candidate seeking re-election in Churchill-Keewatinook Aski. She first won the riding from the Liberals in 2008, then won again in 2011 with more than 50 per cent of the vote.

Liberal candidate Rebecca Chartrand and Ashton are the only two candidates who have visited Berens River during this election campaign.

Conservative candidate Kyle Mirecki never responded to an interview request from CBC News. Green Party candidate August Hastmann responded but said he was unavailable.

The politics of identity 

Ashton is from the North, but unlike the majority of residents in the Churchill-Keewatinook Aski riding, she is not indigenous. Her literature promotes her as "From our North. For our North."

"In fact, I'm the only candidate from the three major parties to be from the North and live in the North," she said.

"The only way that you can get a sense is by being around and the best way of being around is by living here." 

Chartrand, who is indigenous, lives in Winnipeg but said she will move to the North if elected.

"I may live in Winnipeg now, but I have deep roots in the North and I have family right through the riding," Chartrand said.

"We are Canadians as much as we are treaty people, and we have to bring the two together and we really need to engage in voting."

Chief openly promotes Liberals

Back on a ridealong with Jackie Everett in Berens River, part of her push to get people to the polls is to get them to vote for Chartrand, the Liberal candidate.

"You're going to go home and tell your parents," she yelled out her truck window to a local teenager who was working at the barge.

"Why do we need to vote Liberal? Because we need change," she said to him.

I'll ask them to vote our way, but I will not force them.- Jackie Everett

Pressed if she thinks it's the chief's responsibility to urge people to vote a certain way, Everett said she "believes so."

"What happens is a lot of people are in limbo. They're not sure, so I talk to them about the pros and cons of the current situation we're in right now and I say we need to make a choice. Because if we don't, change is not going to happen."

Berens River voted overwhelmingly for the NDP in 2011. Ashton won that individual poll with 80.7 per cent support. The Liberals got 10.5 per cent.

"At the end of the day, it's their choice," Everett said. "I'll ask them to vote our way, but I will not force them.… We all have a choice in which way we should vote."

Ashton agreed that everyone has "the right to choose and share their position," but she added that she has met with many leaders across the riding who are endorsing the NDP.

Berens River resident Gerald Disbrowe, who is also the chief's cousin, wouldn't say which way he's voting.

"We don't necessarily vote the way [our leaders] want us to vote, but we vote," he said with a laugh. "But if we don't vote, we probably wouldn't get what we have in this reserve."