# Aaron Paquette

Aaron Paquette is a Canadian writer, artist, speaker and politician who currently serves on the Edmonton City Council, representing Ward Dene in the city's northeast. He was first elected to the Edmonton City Council on October 16, 2017.
He was a winner of the Burt Award for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Literature in 2015 for his debut young adult fantasy novel Lightfinder (Kegedonce Press). As a painter, his most notable work is a public art mural at Edmonton's Government Centre station (formerly Grandin station.) He also created several iconic images used in the Idle No More movement. His work may also be found in the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. His murals are also present the walls of many Edmonton schools and public locations.
He is featured in the documentary program, "From the Spirit."
Paquette is Métis of Cree (Nehiyaw), Cayuse and Norwegian descent.

## Consulting work

Paquette is the president of Cree8 Success, a consulting firm.
In 2012, Cree8 Success ran an Education Conference that hosted the following facilitators and presenters: David Bouchard, Richard Wagamese, Ryan McMahon, ASANI (musical trio made up of Debbie Houle, Sarah Pocklington, and Sherryl Sewepagaham), K.A.S.P. (a.k.a. Paul Sawan), Dawn Marie Marchand, Amanda Woodward (traditional dancer), and Richard Van Camp, in addition to Aaron Paquette.
Paquette has recorded a podcast for Cree8 Success, which can be accessed through SoundCloud.

## Politics

He ran as a New Democratic Party candidate in the riding of Edmonton Manning in the 2015 federal election, defeated by candidate Ziad Aboultaif of the Conservative Party.
In 2017, Paquette ran for Edmonton City Council in Ward 4, which includes the neighbourhoods of Northeast Edmonton, Manning, and Clareview. Paquette defeated 11 other candidates for the seat with 23.79% of the vote.
Paquette announced in March 2021 that he will seek re-election to the Edmonton City Council in October 2021. He emphasized that as a City Councilor he has focused on improving services for Edmonton residents and ending what are known as "ward wars," wherein municipalities fight with each other for budgets and support services. The 2021 municipal election saw changes to the ward names and boundaries, and Paquette was re-elected in Ward Dene, which includes his former Ward 4. He was among just a handful of councillors in the election to receive the majority of the vote in the ward involved - Paquette received 54 percent of the vote in his ward.

## Electoral record

2017 Edmonton city election elected as councillor
2021 Edmonton city election elected as councillor
2015 Canadian federal election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Conservative | Ziad Aboultaif | 22,166 | 45.2 | -10.25 | – |
| | Liberal | Sukhdev Aujla | 13,509 | 27.6 | +18.5 | – |
| | New Democratic | Aaron Paquette | 11,582 | 23.6 | -3.1 | – |
| | Green | Chris Vallee | 1,079 | 2.2 | -0.68 | – |
| | Independent | Mebreate Deres | 540 | 1.1 | – | – |
| | Marxist–Leninist | André Vachon | 125 | 0.3 | – | – |
| Total valid votes/Expense limit | Total valid votes/Expense limit | Total valid votes/Expense limit | 49,001 | 100.0 | | $212,270.98 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 185 | – | – |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,186 | 61.3% | – |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 80,111 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | Swing | -14.37% |
| Source: Elections Canada |||||||