Indigenous Winnipeggers becoming more politically engaged, says group

As Liberal Leader Justin Trudeaumade a campaign-style stop in Winnipeg this week, a local non-partisan group that encourages indigenous people to vote says more aboriginal people in the city are becoming more engaged in politics.

Trudeau was joined by former Winnipeg mayoral candidateRobert-Falcon Ouellette and other local Liberal candidates on the Tach Promenade, in the city's St. Boniface area, as he kicked off the second day of his two-day visiton Thursday morning.

Among other things, Trudeau reiterated his party'scommitment to a national inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women if it forms government.

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Trudeautold the crowd that it's important for Parliament to reflect the Canadian population, adding that havingindigenous candidates on the ballot will help the community connect to federal politics.

The Liberals have 14 candidates in Manitoba, three of whom identify as aboriginal:Ouellette(Winnipeg Centre), Rebecca Chartrand (ChurchillKeewatinook Aski) and Dan Vandal (St. Boniface-St. Vital).

In total, there are 12 indigenous candidatesrunning for the Liberals across Canada.

The NDP says it has a total of nine aboriginal candidates running across Canada as of Thursdayafternoon.TheConservatives say they have three aboriginal candidates running for the party to date.

Indigenous voters 'do matter,' says group

With a federal election set for this fall, grassroots groups are rallying people, including indigenous communities, to become politically engaged.

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A Winnipeg non-partisan group called Indigenous Rock the Vote has Facebook pages that engages people in political conversation and helps aboriginalpeople obtain the identification they need to vote in elections.

Organizer Sylvia Boudreau said the group saw more aboriginal people take part in Winnipeg's civic election last year.

"It was really empowering just to see people coming together like that, and realizing that yeah, they do matter," said Boudreau, who added that aboriginal voter turnout has historically been low.

"If the engagement increases, knowing the numbers of the population of the indigenous community, it could change it dramatically," she added.

Boudreau said voters should pay attention to the party platforms of any candidate they choose to vote for.

2nd visit to Winnipeg this month

This wasTrudeau'ssecond visit to Winnipeg this month. On July 4, heheld a meet and greet alongside Winnipeg South candidate TerryDuguidand hosted a town hall meeting on open government.

Upon his arrival in Winnipeg on Wednesday, the Liberal leaderchecked out the Winnipeg Fringe Festival and visited theMain Street campaign office ofKildonan-St. Paul candidateMaryAnnMihychuk.

During the noon hour Thursday,Trudeauand Ouellettechatted with people as they ate lunch atfood trucks along Broadway.

Among those who stopped to have pictures taken with the pair was Rebecca Moar, who said she voted for Ouellette in last year's civic election and plans to vote for the Liberals.

Moar said it's important to have indigenous political candidates because they would represent important issues that are important to them,such asmissing and murdered indigenous women and girlsand racism.

"I think honestly, Winnipeg is really racist. That is one major thing here," Moarsaid.

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Winnipeg was named Canada's most racist city in a controversial Maclean's magazine article that remarked on deep racial division between aboriginal and non-aboriginal citizens.

Trudeausaid he will return to Manitoba during his campaign, with a possible stop in a First Nation community.

Trudeau says no to Liberal-NDP coalition

Meanwhile,Trudeau rejected an idea floatedby NDP MP Nathan Cullen of forming a coalitionto defeat the Conservatives in this fall's election.

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"There are a number of issues on which the Liberal Party of Canada and the NDP disagree in quite a fundamental level," Trudeau said Thursday.

"Although, of course, we are open to working with all parties in the house to pass good legislation and to ensure that Canadians' interests are served, there will be no formal coalition with the NDP."