Miles Morrisseau
ICT
It is an historic dozen. The most Indigenous candidates in Canadian history were elected in the federal election this week and will be heading to Parliament Hill.
In races that were close in a number of ridings or voting districts, Indigenous candidates and the Indigenous vote made an impact, pushing Mark Carney and the Liberal Party into leadership if only with a minority government.
The Liberal Party won 169 seats in Parliament, but will require the support of at least three Members of Parliament, known as MPs, from other parties to meet the minimum of 172 votes to pass legislation.
Of the MPs chosen by voters in the April 28 election, 12 were Indigenous — the most ever to sit in Parliament. The most number of Indigenous MPs elected to the House of Commons previously had been 11. It was initially thought that a dozen Indigenous candidates had been elected in 2021, but Liberal Randy Boissonault later admitted he was not Indigenous and resigned from the cabinet.
Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak praised the Indigenous candidates and the Indigenous voters who helped put a record number into office.
“We recognize all First Nation candidates that ran in this election,” Woodhouse Nepinak said in a statement. “We are proud and inspired by your courage to step forward. Importantly, we lift up First Nations citizens across the country who took the time to vote, including those casting a ballot for the first time.”
She continued, “Thanks to you, First Nation voices mattered in this campaign. I am very proud of our people.”
She also congratulated Carney on his victory and said she looked forward to working with the new government.
“What we heard from Prime Minister Carney was a commitment to fully and meaningfully advance First Nations priorities by immediately introducing legislation on the right to clean drinking water, fully implementing the [United Nations] Declaration, and reforming child and family services,” Woodhouse Nepinak said in the statement. “We look forward to meeting with Prime Minister Carney immediately to discuss how we can move forward together with these commitments.”
The national chief said she is also looking forward to working with First Nations MPs from all parties.
Shifting political strengths
The last minority government led by then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had an agreement in place with the left-leaning New Democratic Party in order to push through legislation, and it is likely that Carney will try and make a deal with them to support his government.
Although the NDP was devastated at the polls, dropping to seven seats and losing official party status, which requires 12 seats, they could still hold significant influence in the incoming government.
Two of those seven remaining seats for the NDP are held by Indigenous ridings representing vastly different constituencies.
In Winnipeg Centre, Leah Gazan, Wood Mountain Lake Nation, is representing the NDP in an urban riding with a large Indigenous population. Lori Idlout, Inuk, is representing the vast northern riding of Nunavut, with a largely Inuit population.
Gazan posted to X to thank her team, the voters and the other candidates.
“Thank you to my campaign team and volunteers for running a joyful and loving campaign. I am so grateful for the confidence and trust bestowed upon me and our #WinnipegCentre team,” she wrote. “I truly love Winnipeg Centre and I am looking forward to continuing to work with organizations and individuals to keep community at the centre in Winnipeg Centre. I would also like to acknowledge the other candidates. I recognize the decision to run for office is commendable and my respect is extended to all of them.”
Idlout was running against two other Inuit candidates and the race was close, with counting continuing into Tuesday, April 29, the day after the election. Idlout finished with 2,945 votes, just 77 more than Liberal candidate Kilikvak Kabloona, who received 2,868 votes. Conservative Party candidate James Arreak finished in third with 2,055 votes.
Both MPs may have a larger voice in the new Parliament if the Liberals strike a deal with the NDP.
Other Liberal Party winners
The governing Liberals have five Indigenous MPs, with three new seats flipped to the party. All eyes now are watching to see if any of the five will be invited to be part of Carney’s new cabinet.
Jaimie Battiste Mi’kmaw, from Eskasoni First Nation, was re-elected to his riding of Cape Breton-Canso-Antigonish after a spring in which he challenged for the Liberal leadership. Battiste stepped down before the convention and threw his support behind Carney.
Wade Grant, a member of the Musqueam Indian Band who served on band council, won the riding of Vancouver Quadra in British Columbia. Grant will be heading to Parliament in a riding that has been with the Liberal Party since 1984.
Buckley Belanger, Métis from Île-à-la-Crosse, flipped the riding of Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River from the Conservative Party to the Liberal Party. Belanger was the only Liberal red – the Liberal Party is depicted as red in Canada – in a sea of Conservative blue in the prairie province of Saskatchewan.
Rebecca Chartrand, Anishinaabe, Inninew, Dakota and Mėtis, defeated Nikki Ashton, NDP, who had held the riding since 2008 in the vast northern territory of Churchill-Keewatinook Aski.
And Mandy Gull-Masty, Cree, who had served as grand chief of Cree Nation of Quebec, won in Quebec, where liberals were able to flip a seat from the Bloc Quebecois in the riding of Abitibi-Baie-James-Nunavik-Eeyou.
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party will be adding two new Indigenous MPs to Parliament to go along with two incumbents.
The West Coast province of British Columbia elected two Indigenous Members of Parliament.
Marc Dalton, Métis, was re-elected to represent Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge, a seat he has held since 2019.
And Ellis Ross of the Haisla Nation was elected from the Conservative Party to represent the voting district of Skeena-Bulkley Valley, which has been an NDP stronghold for over two decades.
In Alberta, former chief of the Enoch Nation, Billy Morin, was elected to represent Edmonton-Northwest, in what was the first election in a newly created voting district.
And in Ontario, Adam Chambers, Métis, was re-elected as the representative from Simcoe-North.
“I congratulate PM Mark Carney who earned the seats required to form a government,” Chambers posted to his Facebook page. “I will work with the government on areas of shared interest such as defending our national interest against any country or entity that challenges or undermines our beautiful country. Canada must always remain strong, united and free.”
Bloc Quebecois
The Bloc Quebecois finished in third place in the April 28 election, with 22 seats.
The bloc will be represented in the northern riding of Saint-Hyacinthe-Bagot-Acton by Pierre Savard-Tremblay, a member of the Huron-Wendat Nation in Quebec who has represented the riding since 2019.
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