Indigenous word added to Sarnia-area riding name in a regional first

In a first for the region, one of its federal ridings will soon have an Indigenous word in its name.

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New federal election boundaries approved recently include the renamed Sarnia-Lambton-Bkejwanong riding, in place of the existing Sarnia-Lambton electoral district.

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Bkejwanong, an Indigenous name for the territory that makes up Walpole Island First Nation, located between Sarnia and Chatham, along Lake St. Clair, is an Ojibwa word meaning “where the waters divide.”

“Indigenous representation in the House of Commons is so important to ensure that our voices are being heard and that our rights are not being trampled on,” said Brandon Doxtator, deputy grand chief with the London-based Association of Iroquois and Allied Indians.

Including Indigenous terms in riding names should help, said Doxtator, who is also a councilor with the Oneida Nation of the Thames.

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“I hope that it excites Indigenous people from all different walks of life to look at politics in a new way,” and consider running for office, he said.

The boundary adjustment proposed by an Ontario commission added Walpole Island, and several other Lambton County communities now part of the Lambton-Kent-Middlesex riding, into the new Sarnia-Lambton-Bkejwanong district.

Aamjiwnaang First Nation, next to Sarnia, and the Kettle and Stony Point First Nation will also be part of the district, along with all 11 Lambton municipalities.

“I called the chief there,” Sarnia-Lambton Conservative MP Marilyn Gladu said about the move to include the Indigenous term for Walpole Island in the new name. “They were very happy to have their name included in the riding.”

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Postmedia reached out to the Walpole Island First Nation administration, but Chief Daniel Miskokomon wasn’t available for comment.

The change is among a series of boundary and name changes being made to ridings in the London region, and across Canada, as part of a review following the latest census. The new ridings will take effect in the first federal election called after April 22, 2024.

In its report to the House of Commons, the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Ontario says it proposed adding several Indigenous names as part of its review.

“The commission received generally positive responses to that aspect of its proposal,” it reported. “Many appreciated this gesture towards recognizing the vital presence and history of Indigenous peoples in our province.”

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