Sask. First Nation land claim settlement vote falls short due to low vote turnout – Global News

May 17, 2023

A Saskatchewan First Nation community says they failed to meet their voting threshold – putting their land claim settlement agreement in limbo.

Muscowpetung Saulteaux First Nation held a vote on Saturday to decide whether members were in favour of the settlement agreement with the federal government.

According to a news release issued by First Nation, 48 per cent of eligible members came out to vote. This falls slightly below the 50 per cent of eligible voters that needed to be met.

Chief Melissa Tavita said she’s disappointed in the turnout, considering she believes her community members are all on the same page.

“This is something that we were waiting for decades,” she told Global News.

“Usually you hear about reserves that go through these claims. They have internal issues with their leadership where they’re constantly fighting or internal issues within the community. But everything was our leadership. We move forward together as one. There’s no fights. We’re on board [with] our community. We move forward as one,” she added.

Read More: https://globalnews.ca/news/9706088/saskatchewan-first-nation-land-vote-falls-short/