Lisa Abbott, Liberal Party of Canada candidate for Saskatoon West

Lisa Abbott, Liberal Party candidate for the new riding of Saskatoon West

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Lisa Abbott is Cree from the Pelican Lake First Nation northwest of Saskatoon. She is the Liberal Party of Canada’s candidate for Saskatoon West.

Background and Experience

-She was raised in Saskatoon and raised her two daughters while putting herself through law school, where she earned a Bachelor of Laws in 2005 from the University of Saskatoon.

-Lisa moved to Ottawa where she has worked as Senior Advisor to the President of the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) and the Assembly of First Nations (AFN). Lisa returned home to work as Political Advisor to Chief of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN).

-She is a lawyer and businessperson who own her own law practice in Saskatoon, Abbott Law.

-Lisa is advocate and leader in her community with such initiatives as Walking With Our Sisters and Women Entrepreneurs of Saskatchewan Inc.

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Riding History

-Saskatoon West is a new riding that was created in 2003 from the electoral boundaries commission recommendations that turned many Saskatchewan ridings that previously had an urban-rural mix, into purely rural or urban ridings. Saskatoon West is the riding made out of the urban portion of Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar. The current Conservative MP is Kelly Block is running in the rural riding of Carlton Trail – Eagle Creek. Which means there are no incumbents running in Saskatoon West.

-Saskatoon West has an Aboriginal population of 13,655 or 19.8% (2011 Census), Muskeg Lake Cree Nation and One Arrow First Nation have urban reserved in Saskatoon West.

Saskatoon West Candidates:

Randy Donauer, Conservative Party

Sheri Benson, NDP

Glendon Toews, Green Party

Sources:

https://lisaabbott.liberal.ca/biography

http://panow.com/article/500004/dozens-gather-saskatoon-mmiw-march

http://media-dis-n-dat.blogspot.ca/2009/11/due-to-funding-dispute-canadian-child.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saskatoon_West

April Bourgeois looking to taking Regina-Wascana for the Orange Team

April Bourgeois looking to taking Regina-Wascana for the Orange Team

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April Bourgeois is a member of the Métis Nation of Saskatchewan and is the federal NDP candidate for Regina-Wascana.

Experience and Accomplishments

-External Director of the Saskatchewan Indian Equity Foundation which is a Aboriginal financial institution that offers development lending to First Nations businesses.

-April is the founding publisher of Prairie Dog (Regina) and Planet S (Saskatoon) magazines that focus on news, arts and entertainment.

-She has served on the Canadian Community Economic Development Network’s national policy council and the national board of The Cooperators.

-April has a Bachelor of Arts (Anthropology) the University of Regina and a Master of Management from St. Mary University.

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Riding History

-Regina-Wascana is a riding that encompasses the southwest quadrant of the city of Regina and small part of the surrounding rural municipalities. With the 2013 electoral boundary commission changes, the riding loses much of the rural district that was included in the predecessor Wascana riding. It has been suggested that the NDP will do better in the new urban ridings of Saskatchewan which lost much of their rural vote, which tended to vote Conservative.

-The current MP for Wascana first elected in 1993 and Liberal Party candidate for the 2015 election is Ralph Goodale. He was Finance Minister for the Paul Martin government and Federal Interlocutor for Metis and Non-Status Indians for the Chretien government.

-Based of the 2011 census the riding has an Aboriginal population of 5,355 or 7.6%.

  

2015 Regina-Wascana Candidates

Ralph Goodale, Liberal

Michael Kram, Conservative

Frances Simonson, Green

Sources:

http://aprilbourgeois.ndp.ca/about

https://ca.linkedin.com/pub/april-bourgeois/34/2a8/296

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regina—Wascana

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AFN identifies 51 swing ridings ahead of October's federal election

June 14, 2015

OTTAWA - The national chief of the Assembly of First Nations says aboriginal voters could make the difference between a majority and minority government in the next federal election.

Perry Bellegarde says his advocacy organization has identified 51 influential ridings, including several in western Canada, where First Nations voters could affect the outcome.

Read More: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/afn-identifies-51-swing-ridings-ahead-of-octobers-federal-election--307304081.html  

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AFN's 51 Ridings (Click on image to enlarge) 

AFN targets 51 federal ridings
http://www.scribd.com/doc/268735250/AFN-targets-51-federal-ridings
Published by: Kristy Kirkup on Jun 15, 2015

Louis De Jaeger, Chilliwack Métis Businessman looking to take Fraser-Hope for the Liberals.

Louis De Jaeger, Chilliwack Métis Businessman looking to take Fraser-Hope for the Liberals.

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Louis De Jaeger is a member a member of the Métis Chilliwack Association of Scottish-Cree ancestry who traces family lineage to John Norquay the first Métis Premier of Manitoba. Louis is the federal Liberal candidate for the riding of Chilliwack-Hope.

Experience and Accomplishments:

-      - Louis a businessman who has thirty-give year background working in the hospitality industry, he is the owner of the Bravo Restaurant and Lounge in Chilliwack.

-      - He has worked with various levels of government including federal, provincial, municipal and First Nation.

-      - He’s community leadership includes a Board Member for the Stó:lō Community Futures and Chilliwack Business Improvement Association.

-       Louis achievements include 2011 winner of the Outstanding Achievement BC Aboriginal Business of the Year; fourth time winner dinning excellence award from the Chilliwack chamber of Commerce; and sixth time winner of the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival.

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Riding History

-       - Chilliwack-Hope is a new riding that is compromised from a portion of the larger previous riding of Chilliwack-Fraser Canyon in the south-west interior of British Columbia. The riding has an Aboriginal population of 8,355 or 9.5% of total riding population (2011).  The riding includes several Stó:lō First Nations including Cheam, Skwah, Skowkale, Tzeachten and Soowahlie First Nations.

-       - The current Member of Parliament for Chilliwack-Fraser Canyon is Conservative Mark Strahl who is the Parliamentry Secretary to the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development and sits as a member of the AAND Standing Committee. He is the son of former Minister Indian Affairs Chuck Strahl. Mark is the Conservative party candidate for Chilliwack-Hope.

Candidates for Chilliwack-Hope

Mark Strahl, Conservative

Seonaigh MacPherson, NDP

Thomas Cheney, Green Party

Alexander Johnson, Libertarian Party

Sources:

http://louisdejaeger.liberal.ca

http://www.stolocf.ca/louie-de-jaeger.html

http://www.theprogress.com/news/278435211.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chilliwack—Hope

Fran Hunt-Jinnouchi, Green Party of Canada candidate Cowichan-Malahat-Langford

Fran Hunt-Jinnouchi, part of the Green Party ripple that leads to the wave that sweeps Vancouver Island?

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Fran Hunt-Jinnouchi is Kwakiutl/Quatsino ancestry and former Chief of Quatsino First Nation on Vancouver Island. She is the Green Party of Canada candidate for the new riding of Cowichan-Malahat-Langford.

Experience and Accomplishments:

-Fran has an impressive educational background that includes a Bachelor of Social Work, Masters of Adult Education and studies towards a PhD in Philosophy.

-She is an entrepreneur who owns a bistro in Langford and is a consulting business focusing on community capacity building.

-Her professional background includes: Director of the Office of Indigenous Affairs at the University of Victoria and Manager of the First Peoples House.  She has also served as Director at Saanich Adult Education Centre.

-In addition to being Chief, she has played a leadership role as Acting Principal at K’ak’ot’latsi School and Chair of the Indigenous Adult & Higher Learning Association.

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Riding History

Cowichan-Malahat-Langford is a new riding created as a result of the 2012 Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission. It is comprised of the former ridings Nanaimo-Cowichan and Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca. Neither of the MPs of the previously mentioned ridings will be running in this new riding. The riding has an Aboriginal population of 9.1% (2011).

Polling aggregator ThreeHundredEight analysis suggests that if the Greens were to make a breakthrough it would be in BC for the most part, particularly Vancouver Island.  Consider Saanich-Gulf Islands where the Greens captured 10.4% in 2008 to capturing 46.33% in 2011 to elect Elizabeth May. The Greens put a great deal of effort and resources to get May elected and establish a beachhead. Vancouver Island may well be the beachhead that turns into a “Green” island.

On a related note, Brenda Sayers was recently acclaimed GPC candidate for North Island–Powell River and will be profiled in a future blog.

2015 Candidates for Cowichan-Malahat-Langford

Alistair MacGregor, NDP

Maria Manna, Liberal

Paul Cortens, Libertarian

TBD, Conservative

Sources:

http://www.hunt-jinnouchienterprises.com/resume.html (2015)

http://www.franhuntjinnouchi.ca/about (2015)

http://www.timescolonist.com/news/local/langford-bistro-owner-nominated-as-green-party-candidate-in-new-riding-1.1759732 (2015)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowichan—Malahat—Langford (2015)