Independent Native Voice
Encyclopedia
Independent Native Voice, also known as Native Voice, was a short-lived political party in Manitoba
, Canada
. It was created in 1995 to address aboriginal issues, and ran three candidates in the 1995 provincial election
. Native Voice was not registered with Elections Manitoba
, and its candidates were listed on the ballot as independents. After the election, accusations surfaced that Native Voice was funded by Progressive Conservative
(PC) Party organizer
s to take votes from the New Democratic Party
(NDP) in marginal constituencies.
Independent Native Voice was one of two unregistered parties to focus on aboriginal issues in the 1995 campaign. The other was the First Peoples Party
(FPP) led by Jerry Fontaine
, the nephew of future Canadian Assembly of First Nations
leader Phil Fontaine
. The FPP had no formal association with Independent Native Voice, and was not implicated in the post-election controversy. Nelson and Carey Contois nevertheless affiliated with the FPP in mid-campaign, and ran with endorsements from both parties. Sutherland did not join the FPP, and was not in regular contact with the Contoises after declaring his candidacy. According to later reports, Sutherland told Jerry Fontaine during the campaign that Progressive Conservative organizers had promised him at least $3,000 to declare his candidacy. Fontaine encouraged Sutherland to take his story to the media, though Sutherland did not do so at the time.
On April 22, 1995, the Winnipeg Free Press
newspaper quoted Progressive Conservative organizer Allan Aitken as saying that he had assisted Sutherland and the Contoises in setting up their campaigns. He said he only wanted to ensure "everyone ha[d] an equal shot at running", and denied suggestions that his actions contravened provincial law. Bill Uruski
, a former NDP Member of the Legislative Assembly
(MLA), was quoted in the same article as speculating that Aitken's assistance was a ploy "to undermine NDP support in the native communities". Two days later, Sutherland told the Interlake Spectator that he had accepted help from Progressive Conservative organizers early in the campaign, but later distanced himself from these figures. He said that his candidacy was legitimate. The controversy attracted relatively little attention during the campaign.
Independent Native Voice fared poorly as a party, receiving a total of 518 votes. Nelson Contois received 118 votes (1.36%), Carey Contois received 111 (1.15%) and Sutherland received 289 (3.90%). The NDP won all three constituencies, although the Progressive Conservatives came within thirty-six votes of winning Swan River. Provincially, the Progressive Conservatives under Gary Filmon
were re-elected with their second consecutive majority government
. The NDP registered a complaint with Elections Manitoba concerning the Native Voice candidacies, but no charges were laid.
, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
(CBC) interviewed Sutherland and ran an exposé of his candidacy on June 22, 1998. This story, and subsequent follow-up reports, included accusations by Sutherland that Progressive Conservative organizers were guilty of vote-rigging and inducement in the 1995 campaign. The resulting scandal became a political flashpoint in the province. A Winnipeg Free Press article from June 24 noted that Sutherland was receiving $111 bi-weekly in welfare payments at the time of the election, yet contributed almost $5,000 to his own campaign chest. On the same day, Sutherland named local Progressive Conservative organizer Cubby Barrett as the source of his funds.
Premier
Filmon initially rejected these reports, and said that he trusted Elections Manitoba more than the CBC. He nonetheless called a public inquiry under judge Alfred Monnin
before the end of June, in response to mounting evidence of improper behaviour. Monnin ruled that local Progressive Conservative organizers were guilty of inducing at least one candidate (Sutherland) to contest the election. Senior party organizer Taras Sokolyk
was personally implicated, when it was discovered that he had channelled party funds to Aitken during the campaign. In his summary, Monnin described the behaviour of Conservative organizers as "unethical" and "morally reprehensible".
Monnin's inquiry did not conclude that the Contois candidacies were induced by Progressive Conservative organizers, although suspicions remained. Premier Filmon was not implicated in the scandal. No charges were filed against Barrett and Aitken, as the statute of limitations for illegal inducement had expired after two years.
Referring to the scandal in 1998, Jerry Fontaine argued that "the Tories took advantage of Aboriginal individuals who weren't all that involved in political issues or political life". The scandal contributed to the defeat of Filmon's government in the 1999 election
.
Independent Native Voice ceased to exist after 1995.
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It was created in 1995 to address aboriginal issues, and ran three candidates in the 1995 provincial election
Manitoba general election, 1995
The Manitoba general election of April 25,1995 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It was won by the Progressive Conservative Party, which won 31 seats out of 57...
. Native Voice was not registered with Elections Manitoba
Elections Manitoba
Elections Manitoba is the non-partisan agency of the Government of Manitoba, responsible for the conduct of provincial elections....
, and its candidates were listed on the ballot as independents. After the election, accusations surfaced that Native Voice was funded by Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba
The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba is the only right wing political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is also the official opposition party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.-Origins and early years:...
(PC) Party organizer
Party organizer
A party organizer or local party organizer is a position in some political parties in charge of the establishing a party organization in a certain locality.Herbert Ames wrote in his 1911 article "Organization of Political Parties in Canada" :...
s to take votes from the New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party of Manitoba
The New Democratic Party of Manitoba is a social-democratic political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is the provincial wing of the federal New Democratic Party, and is a successor to the Manitoba Co-operative Commonwealth Federation...
(NDP) in marginal constituencies.
The election
Independent Native Voice's leader was Nelson Contois, who contested Manitoba's Swan River constituency. The other candidates were Nelson's daughter Carey Contois in Dauphin, and Darryl Sutherland in Interlake.Independent Native Voice was one of two unregistered parties to focus on aboriginal issues in the 1995 campaign. The other was the First Peoples Party
First Peoples Party
-History:The FPP was created following a 1993 resolution by the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, endorsing a political party to focus on aboriginal issues. The party was officially founded in November 1994, and fielded three candidates in the 1995 provincial election...
(FPP) led by Jerry Fontaine
Jerry Fontaine
Jerry Fontaine is an Anishinaabe politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was chief of the Sagkeeng First Nation from 1989 to 1998, led the First Peoples Party in the 1995 provincial election, and was an unsuccessful candidate to lead the Manitoba Liberal Party in 1998...
, the nephew of future Canadian Assembly of First Nations
Assembly of First Nations
The Assembly of First Nations , formerly known as the National Indian Brotherhood, is a body of First Nations leaders in Canada...
leader Phil Fontaine
Phil Fontaine
Larry Phillip Fontaine, OM is an Aboriginal Canadian leader. He completed his third and final term as National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations in 2009....
. The FPP had no formal association with Independent Native Voice, and was not implicated in the post-election controversy. Nelson and Carey Contois nevertheless affiliated with the FPP in mid-campaign, and ran with endorsements from both parties. Sutherland did not join the FPP, and was not in regular contact with the Contoises after declaring his candidacy. According to later reports, Sutherland told Jerry Fontaine during the campaign that Progressive Conservative organizers had promised him at least $3,000 to declare his candidacy. Fontaine encouraged Sutherland to take his story to the media, though Sutherland did not do so at the time.
On April 22, 1995, the Winnipeg Free Press
Winnipeg Free Press
The Winnipeg Free Press is a daily broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Founded in 1872, as the Manitoba Free Press, it is the oldest newspaper in western Canada. It is the newspaper with the largest readership in the province....
newspaper quoted Progressive Conservative organizer Allan Aitken as saying that he had assisted Sutherland and the Contoises in setting up their campaigns. He said he only wanted to ensure "everyone ha[d] an equal shot at running", and denied suggestions that his actions contravened provincial law. Bill Uruski
Bill Uruski
Bill Uruski is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1969 to 1990, and was a cabinet minister in the New Democratic Party governments of Edward Schreyer and Howard Pawley.Uruski did not attend a university; however, he was a Royal Canadian...
, a former NDP Member of the Legislative Assembly
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
(MLA), was quoted in the same article as speculating that Aitken's assistance was a ploy "to undermine NDP support in the native communities". Two days later, Sutherland told the Interlake Spectator that he had accepted help from Progressive Conservative organizers early in the campaign, but later distanced himself from these figures. He said that his candidacy was legitimate. The controversy attracted relatively little attention during the campaign.
Independent Native Voice fared poorly as a party, receiving a total of 518 votes. Nelson Contois received 118 votes (1.36%), Carey Contois received 111 (1.15%) and Sutherland received 289 (3.90%). The NDP won all three constituencies, although the Progressive Conservatives came within thirty-six votes of winning Swan River. Provincially, the Progressive Conservatives under Gary Filmon
Gary Filmon
Gary Albert Filmon, PC, OC, OM is a Manitoba politician. He was the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba from 1983 to 2000, and served as the 19th Premier from 1988 to 1999.-Early life and municipal career:...
were re-elected with their second consecutive majority government
Majority government
A majority government is when the governing party has an absolute majority of seats in the legislature or parliament in a parliamentary system. This is as opposed to a minority government, where even the largest party wins only a plurality of seats and thus must constantly bargain for support from...
. The NDP registered a complaint with Elections Manitoba concerning the Native Voice candidacies, but no charges were laid.
Scandal
Following extensive journalistic work by reporter Curt PetrovichCurt Petrovich
Curt Petrovich is a Canadian journalist. He has worked for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation since 1986.Petrovich is currently based in Vancouver, British Columbia...
, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
(CBC) interviewed Sutherland and ran an exposé of his candidacy on June 22, 1998. This story, and subsequent follow-up reports, included accusations by Sutherland that Progressive Conservative organizers were guilty of vote-rigging and inducement in the 1995 campaign. The resulting scandal became a political flashpoint in the province. A Winnipeg Free Press article from June 24 noted that Sutherland was receiving $111 bi-weekly in welfare payments at the time of the election, yet contributed almost $5,000 to his own campaign chest. On the same day, Sutherland named local Progressive Conservative organizer Cubby Barrett as the source of his funds.
Premier
Premier of Manitoba
The Premier of Manitoba is the first minister for the Canadian province of Manitoba. He or she is the province's head of government and de facto chief executive. Until the early 1970s, the title "Prime Minister of Manitoba" was used frequently. Afterwards, the word Premier, derived from the French...
Filmon initially rejected these reports, and said that he trusted Elections Manitoba more than the CBC. He nonetheless called a public inquiry under judge Alfred Monnin
Alfred Monnin
Alfred Maurice Monnin, OC, OM, QC is a retired judge in Manitoba, Canada.He was appointed to the Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench in 1957 and to the Manitoba Court of Appeal in 1962. In 1983 he was appointed Chief Justice of Manitoba...
before the end of June, in response to mounting evidence of improper behaviour. Monnin ruled that local Progressive Conservative organizers were guilty of inducing at least one candidate (Sutherland) to contest the election. Senior party organizer Taras Sokolyk
Taras Sokolyk
Taras Sokolyk is a former political organizer and currently the Chief Executive Officer of CanadInns in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He played a prominent role in the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba's 1995 election campaign, in which the party won a majority government.Once a political organizer...
was personally implicated, when it was discovered that he had channelled party funds to Aitken during the campaign. In his summary, Monnin described the behaviour of Conservative organizers as "unethical" and "morally reprehensible".
Monnin's inquiry did not conclude that the Contois candidacies were induced by Progressive Conservative organizers, although suspicions remained. Premier Filmon was not implicated in the scandal. No charges were filed against Barrett and Aitken, as the statute of limitations for illegal inducement had expired after two years.
Referring to the scandal in 1998, Jerry Fontaine argued that "the Tories took advantage of Aboriginal individuals who weren't all that involved in political issues or political life". The scandal contributed to the defeat of Filmon's government in the 1999 election
Manitoba general election, 1999
The Manitoba general election of September 21, 1999 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada....
.
Independent Native Voice ceased to exist after 1995.
Election results
| Election | # of candidates nominated | # of seats won | # of total votes | % of popular vote | % in seats contested |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 Manitoba general election, 1995 The Manitoba general election of April 25,1995 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It was won by the Progressive Conservative Party, which won 31 seats out of 57... |
3 | 0 | 518 | 2.01 |