The best barometer for future behaviour is past behaviour, and the incumbent Conservative government has a poor record on aboriginal issues, according to a local NDP candidate.
"What have the Conservatives done? What they've done is they've created adversarial relationship with First Nations," said Kathi Dickie, representing the NDP for Prince George-Peace River-Northern Rockies during an all-candidates' forum Tuesday night at the Prince George Native Friendship Centre.
Candidates from both ridings participated in the evening, where they faced primarily First Nations-related questions from the audience.
Cariboo-Prince George Conservative candidate Todd Doherty, Liberal Tracy Calogheros, Green Richard Jaques, independent Sheldon Clare and New Democrat Trent Derrick joined Dickie and fellow Prince George-Peace River-Northern Rockies Liberal candidate Matt Shaw on the evening's panel.
Doherty found himself frequently on the defensive, being asked to answer for previous decisions of the Conservative government in their dealings with the country's aboriginal population.
"I can't speak to what's been done in the past, all I can do is speak to what I will do as the next representative if I'm fortunate enough to be elected," Doherty said, in response to a question about ensuring First Nations have adequate resources going forward, following more than a billion dollars worth of cuts to programs and organizations.
"I believe in getting people around the table and I believe in building trust and building respect and making sure that what we're doing is delivering the message from the Cariboo to Ottawa and not the other way around," Doherty said. "And I think the first thing we need to do as leaders is ensure we have that information, we have that dialogue at this level. Because I do believe we can affect change, here at the community level."
But it's "despicable" that the current government has spent millions of dollars on advertising while there are First Nations communities under boil-water advisories, Derrick said.
"We want the opportunity to be self-sufficient, to move forward."
To start the evening, all the candidates were asked about what they saw as the biggest issues facing the growing urban aboriginal population as they moved to urban centres.
While many keyed in on issues such as child welfare, economic opportunity, Clare said the main issue is that which First Nations people have been dealing for the longest time: racism.
"It overarches just about everything else," Clare said.
"The biggest thing I think is racism and the loss of connection with their own community."
Candidates were also asked to weigh in what trade agreements such as the Transpacific Partnership mean for aboriginal rights and title.
"I would love to be able to answer that question, but no one can answer it," said Shaw, since the TPP document has not yet been made available outside of some of the text getting leaked online via Wikileaks.
The Conservative government doesn't have a very good mandate to ratify the agreement, he said and their fundamental attitude has been disdain toward participation - from First Nations groups and other Canadians.
"Aboriginal rights and title are not in the forefront of minds of negotiators," agreed Calogheros.
The normally combative Clare and Jaques found themselves in agreement over a question on Bill C-51, both pointing to additional powers for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service as a step in the wrong direction.
"If I was still an RCMP officer, I'd be doing a happy dance," Jaques said about the low burden of proof for law enforcement to put someone away as a preventative measure.
Derrick pushed Liberals Shaw and Calogheros to defend their party's supportive vote of the controversial bill in the House of Commons, noting the party propped up Conservative legislation more than 70 times.
"When Matt and Tracy talk about repealing Bill C-51 it goes against their party platform," he said.
Zimmer sends regrets
Prince George-Peace River-Northern Rockies Conservative incumbent Bob Zimmer was originally slated to attend Tuesday night's forum, but had to withdraw due to a family emergency.
On Tuesday, B.C. Assembly of First Nations regional chief Shane Gottfriedson joined his provincial counterparts in the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs in calling for Zimmer to leave the race after making what he called "racist and misogynistic comments regarding aboriginal women."
Zimmer's comments during a debate in Fort
St. John last week drew swift rebuke after he said "a lack of a job" is one of the reasons behind the disappearance of nearly 1,200 aboriginal women between 1980 and 2012. He later clarified his comments at another debate, saying he was "making a statement based on an RCMP study that had already been done in regards to aboriginal women and one of the risk factors in there was what I spoke about."
"These types of statements cannot simply be 'taken out of context.' These comments stem from systemic racist and sexist attitudes and it is completely unacceptable that this attitude continues to persist," Gottfriedson said in a press release.
"We must find justice for all our mothers, sisters and daughters. This indifference we find in elected officials is unfathomable and part of the work of the inquiry is to address these beliefs and attitudes."
