In the 2025 federal election, Indigenous voices are rising with renewed strength across Canada. Dozens of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis candidates are running for major political parties—including the Liberals, Conservatives, New Democrats, and Bloc Québécois—seeking to represent communities both urban and rural, northern and southern. From Sean McQuillan, a Cree Métis candidate in Edmonton West, to Kimberly Fairman, a Nunavummiut woman running for the Conservatives in Yellowknife, these candidates reflect the diversity and resilience of Indigenous nations across this land.
It has been 65 years since First Nations people gained the right to vote federally in 1960, and 57 years since Len Marchand became the first First Nations person elected to the House of Commons in 1968. Despite these milestones, Indigenous representation in Parliament has remained limited, and systemic barriers still persist. Many Indigenous candidates are campaigning in marginal ridings—areas where victory is uncertain and political support can be fragile. These races are often uphill battles, as candidates must confront not only electoral challenges but also the deep-rooted legacies of colonialism and exclusion in Canadian politics.
Yet their presence is vital. Indigenous candidates bring lived experience, cultural knowledge, and new ways of seeing the world to federal politics. They speak to issues like housing, clean water, policing, language revitalization, and climate change—not as abstract policy debates, but as matters of daily survival and collective healing. Each candidacy is not just a campaign—it is an act of reconciliation and a step toward justice.
Indigenous representation in Parliament is not a symbol. It is a necessity. For Canada to be whole, Indigenous peoples must not only be heard—they must help lead. The growing slate of Indigenous candidates in 2025 is a signal: the future includes us.
Liberal Party
- Dr. Michelle Corfield – Nanaimo–Ladysmith (First Nation)
- Gloria Morgan – Similkameen–South Okanagan–West Kootenay (First Nation)
- Julian Moulton – Tobique–Mactaquac (First Nation)
- Mandy Gull-Masty – Abitibi–Baie-James–Nunavik–Eeyou (First Nation)
- Rebecca Chartrand – Churchill–Keewatinook Aski (First Nation)
- Wade Grant – Vancouver Quadra (First Nation)
- Buckley Belanger – Desnethé–Missinippi–Churchill River (Métis)
- Juliette Sicotte – Okanagan Lake West–South Kelowna (Métis)
- Vance Badawey (incumbent) – Niagara South (Métis)
- Jaime Battiste (incumbent) – Cape Breton–Canso–Antigonish (First Nation)
- Kilivak Kabloona – Nunavut (Inuit)
- Charles Fox – Kenora–Kiiwetinnong (First Nation)
Conservative Party (CPC)
- Billy Morin – Edmonton Northwest (First Nation)
- Ellis Ross – Skeena–Bulkley Valley (First Nation)
- Jim Lemaigre – Desnethé–Missinippi–Churchill River (First Nation)
- James Arreak – Nunavut (Inuit)
- Marc Dalton (incumbent) – Pitt Meadows–Maple Ridge (Métis)
- Kimberly Fairman – Yellowknife–Northwest Territories (Inuit)
New Democratic Party (NDP)
- Kelvin Kotchilea – Northwest Territories (First Nation)
- Laura Mayer – Sault Ste. Marie–Algoma (First Nation)
- Tanille Johnston – North Island–Powell River (First Nation)
- Gilbert Whiteduck – Pontiac–Kitigan Zibi (First Nations)
- Katherine Swampy – Leduc–Wetaskiwin (First Nations)
- Leah Gazan (incumbent) – Winnipeg Centre (First Nations)
- Tania Cameron – Kenora–Kiiwetinnong (First Nations)
- Lori Idlout (incumbent) – Nunavut (Inuit)
- Blake Desjarlais (incumbent) – Edmonton Griesbach (Métis)
- Des Bissonnette – Lakeland (Métis)
- Dot Anderson – St. Albert–Sturgeon River (Métis)
- Doug Racine – Desnethé–Missinippi–Churchill River (Métis)
- Sean McQuillan – Edmonton West (Cree Métis)
Bloc Québécois
- Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay (incumbent) – Saint–Hyacinthe–Bagot–Acton (First Nation)