We’re Done Asking, We’re Voting

This August, the country was suddenly plunged into a federal election campaign, and NWAC wanted to make sure the voices of Indigenous women and gender-diverse people were represented at the polls.

While Indigenous women are the fastest-growing population in Canada, they are greatly under-represented in voter turnout in Canadian elections. Wanting to improve engagement at the polls for Indigenous women in this election, NWAC launched a comprehensive, high-profile Get-Out-the-Vote online campaign with a wealth of information and resources.

Our We’re Done Asking, We’re Voting campaign included a comprehensive voter’s guide on where, when, and how to vote; a workshop series led by NWAC President, Lorraine Whitman, on the importance of voting; an in-depth analysis and scorecard on where each federal party stands on Indigenous women’s issues; and a priority list on what NWAC expected to see prioritized in this election cycle.

All of these activities were supplemented by both an earned and paid social media campaign, targeting Indigenous women throughout the country. Our earned media was highlighted by an op-ed published in The Globe and Mail, underlining the importance of the Indigenous vote.

The response we received from this campaign was overwhelming and showed us the importance of making sure the voices of Indigenous women are heard. We are proud of the outcome of this campaign. We helped to reduce barriers to information and provided insight on key issues, so Indigenous women had the resources they needed to exercise their right to vote.

Now that the election is over, NWAC will continue to ensure that the rights of Indigenous women, girls, and gender-diverse people are upheld. There were a lot of promises made in this campaign—and we intend to make sure that they are kept.