Canada has three new Indigenous MPs in NDP and Conservative ridings

|
Sep 21 2021

Lori Idlout and Adam Chambers


There are likely to be three new Indigenous members of Parliament in the House of Commons following a federal election that had a record number of First Nations, Metis and Inuit candidates.

Blake Desjarlais, who is Metis, was leading in Edmonton Griesbach, which has been held by Conservative MP Kerry Diotte since the riding was created in 2015. Mail-in ballots were still being tallied on Tuesday, however.

Adam Chambers, also Metis, took the seat of Simcoe-North in Ontario for the Conservatives.

Lori Idlout kept Nunavut orange and will replace NDP MP Mumilaaq Qaqqaq, who decided not to run again.

Eight of at least 77 candidates were incumbents and all successfully held on to their seats, so if Desjarlais wins, there will be 11 Indigenous MPs in the 338-seat Parliament – up by one
from the 2019 election.

A PhD candidate in political science said Monday’s results can be seen as a win for Indigenous people, but there is still a gap between the number of candidates running compared with how many get into office.

“I worry if there is continuing to be no (better) results, that (enthusiasm) will fizzle out,” said Philip Charbonneau of Western University in London, Ontario.

Charbonneau said he was surprised Saskatchewan didn’t elect a single Indigenous MP when about a dozen were running.

The northern riding of Desnethe-Missinippi-Churchill River has one of the highest numbers of First Nations electors, says the Assembly of First Nations.

There were three Indigenous candidates in the riding, including heavily favoured Buckley Belanger who left his position as an NDP member of the Saskatchewan legislature to run for the Liberals, but the seat ultimately stayed with Conservative incumbent Gary Vidal.

Charbonneau said voter apathy and historically low voter turnout on reserves could have played a role.

“Maybe because nobody really seemed to want (this election), that also played out in Indigenous communities and they also decided not to show up at the polls again.”

36-day federal election does little to change makeup of Parliament

A number of Indigenous MPs were elected

 in country’s 44th general election


A sign points voters to a returning office on Monday. Photo: APTN

Kathleen Martens

APTN
Sep 21, 2021

Jaime Battiste was among the first Indigenous candidates elected in Monday’s federal vote – adding to a list of firsts he’s chalked up in his short political career so far.

The incumbent for Sydney-Victoria (LIB) in Nova Scotia made history in 2019 as the first Mi’kmaw MP ever to sit in the House of Commons.

Now, in another first, he faced a Mi’kmaw challenger in the 2021 campaign – Jeff Ward of the NDP – who finished third. It was the first time two Mi’kmaw candidates ran in the same riding.

A record number of Indigenous candidates put their names forward in an election many felt was unnecessary.

Prime Minister-elect Justin Trudeau took a gamble – and considerable heat – sending Canadians to the polls during the fourth wave of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.First Nations activist Michael Champagne of Winnipeg was a pundit on APTN’s election broadcast Monday. Photo: Facebook

In the end, he matched his party’s minority at 157 seats (the unofficial tally at the time this story was published) – 13 short of what he needed for a majority.

He did acknowledge Indigenous Peoples in his acceptance speech, saying Canadians voted to come together “for our shared journey on our path to reconciliation.”

Late Monday, Erin O’Toole’s Conservatives were leading or elected in 121 seats, the same as in 2019. Jagmeet Singh’s NDP were leading or elected in 29, a gain of five seats, while Yves-François Blanchet’s Bloc Québécois was down three at 29.

The Greens, which elected three MPs in 2019, were down to two.

“I’m glad we spent $600 million for such a drastically different outcome,” quipped Michael Champagne, a First Nations activist in Winnipeg who was part of APTN News’ election show

.

Inuk candidate Yvonne Jones won her Labrador riding for the fourth time. 

Photo: APTN file

Of 77 candidates who identified as First Nation, Inuit or Métis, it was a nail-biter to see if they would best the record of 10 Indigenous candidates elected in 2019.

Inuk Yvonne Jones (LIB) kicked things off with a win in Labrador, claiming her riding for the fourth time.

From east to west, Jones was followed by Battiste, then Liberal incumbents Marc Serré in Ontario and Dan Vandal (LIB) and Leah Gazan (NDP) in Manitoba.

Rookie candidate Lori Idlout, one of two Inuk women running, held on to Nunavut for the NDP.

“Congratulations to our new Member of Parliament Lori Idlout. I know you will make Nunavut proud,” said Nunavut MLA Adam Arreak Lightstone on Idlout’s Facebook page.

“I hope I will have an opportunity to work with you over the coming years.”

Jaime Battiste won his Cape Breton riding of Sydney-Victoria for the second time. Photo: APTN file

Early Tuesday, Vance Badaway (CON) hung on in Ontario to retain his seat. And newcomer Blake Desjarlais (NDP) defeated Tory incumbent Kerry Diotte in Alberta.

Michael McLeod (LIB) was relected in Northwest Territories. And so was other incumbent Marc Dalton in B.C. (CON).

That makes 10 Indigenous candidates elected. The same as in 2019.

Wayne Garnons-Williams, a First Nations lawyer and political pundit from Saskatchewan, said it was important for Indigenous voters to next keep an eye on the Liberal Throne Speech, budget and contents of ministerial mandate letters Trudeau bequeaths new cabinet members.

“Hopefully we’ll still see the same priorities that the previous Trudeau governments have had with Indigenous Peoples and priorities,” he told APTN’s election broadcast.

Meanwhile, mail-in ballots wouldn’t be counted in the 44th general election until Tuesday.

Elections Canada said 1,267,014 ballots were mailed out and 951,039 returned as of Sept. 20

Elections Canada also reported in-person voting increased significantly from 2019, with approximately 5,780,000 votes cast between Sept. 10 and 13.

Editor’s note: This story was updated Tuesday after all ridings with Indigenous candidates had final (yet unofficial) results.