The upcoming Ontario provincial election is taking place on June 2, 2022.
We are pleased to provide a summary of things you need to know in the lead up to the election so you are prepared to vote, and informed on what all the political parties have committed to on the issues that matter most to the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) citizens.
In advance of the election, the MNO Intergovernmental Relations team worked to communicate our Métis government’s key priorities to each of the Ontario political parties for inclusion in their platforms. Below you can find an analysis on the major political parties’ platforms to determine what commitments they have made of importance to MNO Citizens.
As well, MNO sent each political party a list of questions that we thought MNO citizens would like responses on to help them to make an informed decision on where parties stand on issues of importance to Métis in Ontario. View the side bar for parties’ responses.
And don’t forget, MNO Citizens can use their MNO Citizenship Card as ID to cast your vote on June 2, 2022.
Preparing to vote in the Ontario Election
Register to Vote:
If you are not already registered to vote, you must do so by May 23, 2022.
Follow the instructions for eRegistration on the Election Ontario website, by visiting here.
The eRegistration will also allow you to add or update your voter information if your information such as your name or address has changed since the last provincial election. Once you have registered to vote, or you have added or updated your voter information through eRegistration, you will then receive a voter information card in the mail. Your voter information card will contain important information about when and where to vote.
If you are already registered to vote, you will automatically receive a voter information card in the mail. You will then receive a voter information card in the mail.
Please Note: To be eligible to vote, you must be 18 years of age or older, a Canadian citizen, and a resident of Ontario. You will need your MNO Citizenship Card, an Ontario driver’s license, or an electronic copy of a piece of ID that includes your name and current residential address.
Vote by Mail:
If you would like to vote by mail, you must apply to vote by mail no later than May 27, 2022 at 6:00 PM EST.
To vote by mail, you will need to complete a Vote by Mail Application or by Downloading and Printing an Application. You will need to provide a copy of government-issued ID or one piece of government-issued proof of name and address such as a utility bill or pay stub to vote by mail.
If you choose to download, print your application and fill it out, you will need to submit your signed and completed application form by either emailing the file to sb@elections.on.ca or by mailing it to:
Elections Ontario
Special Ballot
|51 Rolark Drive
Toronto, ON M1R EB1
Elections Ontario must receive your application no later than May 27, 2022 at 6:00 pm EST. Once Elections Ontario reviews and approves your Vote by Mail application, you will be mailed a ballot kit to cast your vote.
Please Note: Once you have successfully applied to vote by mail, you will be unable to choose another voting option.
Where to Vote In-Person:
If you do not know your electoral district and are not sure where to go to vote in-person on election day or during advanced polls, you can find your electoral district by visiting here.
Enter your postal code when prompted, and the site will tell you the electoral district in which you reside.
The site will also provide you with a list of the candidates running in your riding, where to vote on election day, and where you can vote in the advanced polls.
In advance of the election, MNO has conducted an analysis on the major political parties’ platforms to determine what commitments they have made of importance to MNO Citizens.
ELECTION PLATFORM SUMMARIES:
To help Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) citizens make an informed decisions about where Ontario’s political parties stand on issues of importance to Métis in Ontario, MNO sent each political party a list of questions.
Below you can find are the responses received from Liberal, New Democratic, Progressive Conservative and Green parties.
The Ontario Liberal party did not mention Métis or MNO citizens specifically in their election platform entitled, A Place to Grow, Our Liberal Plan for Everyone.
There is a section of the platform titled “Advance Indigenous reconciliation” where they state that they are committed to implementing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action by working with and learning from Indigenous peoples.
This includes increasing support for the learning of Indigenous culture and languages, and mandating the inclusion of the history of Canada’s residential schools throughout the K-12 curriculum. They also mention investments in Indigenous-led mental health supports, childcare, housing and infrastructure.
Other commitments include ensuring Indigenous peoples have equal opportunities through:
- Funding Indigenous childcare
- Investing $25 million in Indigenous small businesses
- Supporting Indigenous infrastructure and energy projects
- Develop a housing strategy for Indigenous peoples and building 22,000 new homes for off-reserve Indigenous families
- Strengthening revenue sharing agreements
- Bringing back a minister focused on Indigenous reconciliation
- Working with Indigenous communities to prepare for extreme weather
- Investigating and commemorating former residential school sites
The Ontario PC Party did not mention Métis or MNO citizens specifically in their 2022 Ontario Budget, which is being used as the PC’s platform for the upcoming election.
A section of the Budget titled “Working with Indigenous Partners” details their commitment to reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and communities by focusing on initiatives that promote economic prosperity and create a better future.
It includes:
- Investing $25 million over three years to support Indigenous communities, including providing Indigenous-owned businesses and entrepreneurs with working capital to ensure continued business operations
- The Indigenous Economic Development Fund: to enhance Indigenous training and capacity development by providing grants to Indigenous organizations and other key partners to better support skills enhancement, Indigenous apprentices and economic development
- The investment will also increase procurement opportunities for Indigenous businesses
The Ontario New Democratic Party’s election platform, entitled Strong. Ready. Working for You, includes specific mention and commitments for our Citizens.
Under “Arts, Culture, Media and Heritage” the NDP have committed to restoring the Indigenous Culture Fund, a program that supports First Nations, Inuit and Métis community-based and cultural projects, and creates jobs for Indigenous people.
Chapter 7 titled “Honouring the Inherent Rights, Treaties, and Ways of Life of Indigenous Peoples” discusses how First Nations, Inuit and Métis people in Ontario continue to face barriers to basic rights that others in Ontario take for granted. A commitment in this chapter is to work with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities to transform and establish community control of child welfare for Indigenous communities. Another commitment is to work with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities on transformational change to our justice system.
Their full list of commitments includes:
- Implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and ensure Indigenous Peoples In Ontario are treated equitably under the law
- Establish the Treaty Commission of Ontario
- Creating a Provincial Water Strategy
- Clean up the mercury in the English-Wabigoon River system
- Create a for-Indigenous-by-Indigenous Housing strategy
- Work with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities to transform and establish community control of child welfare
- Work with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities on transformational change to our justice system
- Culturally competent health care for Indigenous people
- Improve access to culturally responsive health care, mental health care, long-term care for Indigenous Peoples
- Restore the Indigenous Culture Fund
- Establish a commission to review and make binding recommendations on the display of historical figures and symbols
- Commissioning a monument that recognizes the victims of the Indian residential school system
- Implement the recommendation of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
- Mandatory Indigenous curriculum for Ontario classrooms
- Establish the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation