Results: Manitoba's New Premier Makes History As First Canadian First Nations Premier

Manitoba's new premier, Wab Kinew, and his cabinet have been sworn in October 18, with a ceremony that featured traditional Indigenous music and dancing. He led the New Democrats to victory in a provincial election held on Oct. 3 and defeated the Progressive Conservatives, who had been in power for seven years. By doing so, he has made history as the very first Canadian First Nations Premier. Are you aware of this historic win?

For those who are unaware, all Canadian provinces and territories have a head of government, called the premier. Traditionally provincial governments are responsible for education, health care, social welfare, and highways, as they pass laws that affect only the people of their province. Kinew's win is important, because Manitoba has the largest percentage of its population who identify as Indigenous. Ontario is home to the largest number of Indigenous people in Canada at over 406,000, but Manitoba leads the provinces in terms of the proportion of its population who identify as Indigenous at 18%. Do you think being Indigenous will make Kinew more sensitive to the specific issues that Indigenous people face?

Not only does Kinew become the first First Nations premier of a Canadian province, his 15-member cabinet includes, for the first time in Manitoba, First Nations women. Manitoba now has a Jewish lieutenant-governor, an Anishinaabe premier, a gender-balanced cabinet and a government that represents many walks of life. Do you think that representation is important in government?

Kinew, whose father was a survivor of the horrific residential school system, where many First Nations, Métis and Inuit children were subjected to physical and sexual abuse. His father was not allowed to vote under Canadian law as an Indigenous person, and now his son holds the highest ranking political position in the province. Kinew seems to have tapped positively into the three great social concerns of our era — failing health care, growing crime and the national tragedy of addictions. Time will tell, of course, how well he tackles these three areas. Kinew first came into the political spotlight in 2014. In 2017, he introduced Bill 223 to mark September 30 as Orange Shirt Day, a day meant to honour residential school survivors, which is now observed as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada. Do you feel it is about time First Nations people take a more prominent position in politics?