b'PREPARING FOR ELECTIONSTHE PERSONAL is POLITICALBy Nikita DayPreparing for the elections as Indigenous womenC anadas next federal election is set to take place on or before October 25, 2025, and many Indigenous women are beginning to think about how they can make an informed decision and support the candi-dates whose interests align with their own.Jody Wilson-Raybould, a proud Kwakwakawakw woman from the west coast of British Columbia, has served a long career in politics and community development, during which time she has persistently championed the rights of Indigenous people. She served as Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada from 2015 to 2019 before taking on the role of Minister of Veterans Affairs in January 2019. For Wilson-Raybould, being an Indigenous woman involved in politics has meant overcoming many barriers. In one word, its difficult. In another word, its neces-sary, she says. You have to ensure that your voice is heard because theres a lot of people, particularly in the roles that Ive been fortunate enough to play, that arent used to you being around. Those tables arent used to your presence and certainly do not have an in-depth understanding of different worldviews which Indigenous peoples generally bring to different roles.Wilson-Raybould notes that while political parties may seem to differ on certain policies, theyve also shown themselves to be similar in a lot of respects. I think that the problem, the challenge, with political parties generally is that they are overly partisan, in that the purpose of political parties is to maintain power. According 14Fall/Winter 2024'