--- title: Indian Act and the Right to Vote description: What is the history of the Indian Act and the right to vote for Aboriginal Peoples in Canada? Read this short article to find out. image: https://www.ictinc.ca/hubfs/Blog/election-sign-vote_fredisonfire-48885018948-Flickr_2000w.jpg --- 2 min read # Indian Act and the Right to Vote [ Bob Joseph ](https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/author/bob-joseph) February 12, 2025 [Indigenous Rights](https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/topic/indigenous-rights) [Indian Act](https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/topic/indian-act) ![Indian Act and the Right to Vote](https://www.ictinc.ca/hubfs/Blog/election-sign-vote_fredisonfire-48885018948-Flickr_2000w.jpg) Indian Act and the Right to Vote 2:50 The right to vote, which most Canadians take for granted, was a hard-fought battle for Indigenous Peoples. In most parts of Canada, First Nations were offered the [right to vote](https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/barriers-to-first-nation-voting) at the time of Confederation - but only if they gave up their treaty rights and Indian status. Understandably, few were willing to do this. Métis People were not excluded from voting as few were covered by treaties, therefore there was nothing to justify disqualifying them. [Inuit](https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/inuit-people-of-the-world) were excluded and no steps were taken to include them as most communities were geographically isolated so, in the absence of special efforts to enable them to vote, they had no means of exercising their rights. (Inuit were given the right to vote in federal elections in 1950). Long before contact with Europeans, and the ensuing *[ Indian Act](https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/21-things-you-may-not-have-known-about-the-indian-act-)*, Indigenous Peoples had elaborate systems of [government](https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/hereditary-chief-definition-and-5-faqs) therefore many unfavourably viewed the nineteenth-century proposal for **enfranchisement** (the granting of the right to vote to citizens) for two reasons: first, it would mean the termination of their recognition as distinct Nations or people (as signified by treaties with France, Great Britain and later, Canada) which would mean the** beginning of their [assimilation](https://www.ictinc.ca/indian-residential-schools)** into settler society; and second, it would mean voting in a system of government that was alien to the traditions, conventions and practices of governance of many Indigenous Peoples. Voting was also considered redundant as a traditional, effective system was already in place for choosing leaders and governing Nations. - [Why Haudenosaunee won't be voting in the federal election this October](https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/two-row-wampum-haudenosaunee-voting-election-1.5273605) Proposals to offer the **franchise** date back to at least 1885 but were met with hostility within the federal government. The status quo endured for nearly a century as there was little pressure to extend the franchise, although it was extended in 1924 to Indigenous veterans of the First World War, including on-reserve veterans. - [Indigenous Youth Weigh the Tough Decision to Vote](https://thetyee.ca/News/2019/09/24/Indigenous-Youth-Weigh-Tough-Decision-Vote/) The fact that so many Indigenous Peoples [served with distinction](https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/aboriginal-war-heroes-good-men) in the Second World War was one of the reasons why it was concluded that the time had come for all Indigenous Peoples to have the full rights of citizenship. In 1948, a parliamentary committee recommended that the right to vote be extended to all Indigenous Peoples. The federal government did extend the franchise to Inuit, who did not have treaties or reserves so were legally considered “ordinary citizens” but Indians who wanted to vote would still have to waive their right to [tax exemptions](https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/status-indians-and-taxes); given the significance of this treaty right, few did so. It was not until 1960, under the leadership of Prime Minister John Diefenbaker, that Indigenous Peoples were offered the franchise without having to give up any treaty rights in exchange. - [The 1st First Nations to participate in a federal election reflect on the politics of voting](https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/hiawatha-curve-lake-federal-byelection-1.5290370) *This post was originally published on August 10, 2012 and updated in February 2025.* *Featured photo: [A Disappearing Act](https://www.flickr.com/photos/fredisonfire/48885018948/), Flickr* [![Sign up for our Working Effectively With Indigenous Peoples Training!](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/374848/242ebe28-384a-49b5-a80d-a26fa850c012.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/374848/242ebe28-384a-49b5-a80d-a26fa850c012) ###### Share: [** ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ictinc.ca%2Fblog%2Findian-act-and-the-right-to-vote) [** ](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ictinc.ca%2Fblog%2Findian-act-and-the-right-to-vote&title=Indian+Act+and+the+Right+to+Vote&summary==What+is+the+history+of+the+Indian+Act+and+the+right+to+vote+for+Aboriginal+Peoples+in+Canada%3F+Read+this+short+article+to+find+out.+) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. 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[Read More](https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/first-nation-right-to-vote) [![Indian Act and Enfranchisement of Indigenous Peoples](https://www.ictinc.ca/hubfs/Blog/LAC_5383462_Fred-Callihoo-chief-of-enfranchised-Michel-First-Nation-716w.jpg) ](https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/indian-act-and-enfranchisement-of-indigenous-peoples) 1 min read #### [Indian Act and Enfranchisement of Indigenous Peoples](https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/indian-act-and-enfranchisement-of-indigenous-peoples) September 01, 2016 Enfranchisement of any First Nation admitted to university (1880 amendment) 99.(1) Any Indian who may be admitted to the degree of Doctor of... 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[Read More](https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/the-indian-act-the-politics-of-exclusion) ![](https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/viewthroughconversion/1003610425/?value=0&guid=ON&script=0) ![](https://px.ads.linkedin.com/collect/?pid=7874204&fmt=gif) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Bob Joseph", "url" : "https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/author/bob-joseph" }, "dateModified" : "2025-04-04T20:18:35.582Z", "datePublished" : "2025-02-12T08:00:00.000Z", "headline" : "Indian Act and the Right to Vote", "image" : [ "https://www.ictinc.ca/hubfs/Blog/election-sign-vote_fredisonfire-48885018948-Flickr_2000w.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/indian-act-and-the-right-to-vote", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.ictinc.ca/hubfs/--Official%20Website%20Images/Logos/ICT_Logo_2022.png" }, "name" : "Indigenous Corporate Training Inc." } } ```