Kwanlin Dün First Nation says it has received complaints about all 3 parties
'All we want is our citizens to be treated like everyone else,' says chief's statement
The Kwanlin Dün First Nation says it's received complaints about all three parties from its citizens in the McIntyre subdivision of Whitehorse while all three parties say they're running clean campaigns.
The First Nation issued a letter last week cautioning candidates after it says it received "numerous complaints" about "questionable tactics" being used to get its citizens to the polls.
Some citizens have said they were taken to vote during Thanksgiving weekend, while they were drunk or hungover.
Chief Doris Bill issued a statement after the CBC story aired.
"It is our role as a government to protect our citizens and ensure they are treated fairly. We only want to ensure a fair democracy."
"We did not and do not want to point fingers at anyone, nor do we want to be involved. All we want is our citizens to be treated like everyone else," the statement concluded.
Eileen Vance-Duschene, executive assistant to the chief, said the First Nation has been made aware of "about six" complaints. She said the first complaints were lodged on Oct. 8.
"I'm not going to say that it was about one particular party, because we've received complaints across the board."
Vance-Duschene said the most serious allegations involved incidents on Thanksgiving weekend.
"Our vulnerable people were being picked up and told to vote," she said.
She said other complaints involved citizens allegedly being misled while signing documents, and an instance where a candidate began volunteering at a Kwanlin Dün event without permission.
The chair of the Yukon Party campaign, Currie Dixon, has said his party was not involved in any disreputable methods. But he was quick to fire salvos at both the NDP and the Liberals. Dixon said the Yukon Party is clean — the others aren't.
"We are aware of complaints about the tactics employed by the other two parties," he said.
Shaunagh Stikeman, the NDP candidate for the Mountainview riding, told CBC she would not tolerate any unscrupulous behaviour.
"We, as the NDP, have been doing our utmost to conduct ourselves ethically, respectfully," she said.
"If I ever heard of anyone on my team who was not behaving accordingly, they would no longer be working with me."
Stikeman said some seniors in McIntyre told her a party had told them it was voting day, when the election takes place on Nov. 7.
"I have spoken with a few elders who were themselves approached and told that it was voting day and that it was time to come and vote," she said.
She said those elders spoke with her a few days afterwards and "were seeking clarification" as to when exactly voting day would be.
"It's deeply troubling. We're already in an age where there's so much cynicism regarding our political process and politicians so I think serious allegations like this need to be addressed immediately."
The Liberals say their campaign is also being run ethically. Campaign chair Laura Cabott said "we have not been involved in these tactics at all."
"We phoned the chief electoral officer and asked if there were any complaints about any Liberal candidates, about any Liberal volunteers, as far as proxies, as far as special ballots, anything. And they said 'absolutely not.' There's not one complaint regarding the Yukon Liberals.
"It's unfortunate that the chief and council had to issue that letter. But because of the things that were going on, I think that they needed to take that step, to inform the voters in their riding."
Cabott said that other First Nations are talking about the issue of unethical campaigning as well.
"This has gotten a little bit broader. I think that letter has come to the attention of other chiefs and councils across the territory and is a bit of a wake-up call to the parties across the territory. A lot of people are talking about it; a lot of people are concerned."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
