28th Saskatchewan Election and Indigenous Candidates

Indigenous Candidates

Saskatchewan Provincial Election

April 4, 2016

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JENNIFER CAMPEAU

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Sask Party - Incumbent MLA - Saskatoon Fairview

Minister of Central Services

BILL STEVENSON

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Sask Party Candidate - Regina Elphinstone-Centre

GREG LAWRENCE

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Sask Party Candidate - Moose Jaw Wakamow

ROGER PARENT

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Sask Party Candidate - Saskatoon Meewasin

LISA LAMBERT

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Sask Party Candidate - Saskatoon Churchill-Wildwood

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BUCKLEY BELANGER

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Incumbent MLA

NDP Candidate - Athabasca

LYLE WHITEFISH

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NDP Candidate - Saskatchewan Rivers 

DOYLE VERMETTE

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NDP Candidate - Cumberland

ASHLEE HICKS

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NDP Candidate - Moosomin

DWAYNE LASAS

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NDP Candidate - Meadow Lake

CLAY DEBRAY

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NDP Candidate - Batoche

NICOLE WHITE

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NDP Candidate - Saskatoon Meewasin

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Saskatchewan Liberal's Platform

for First Nations and Metis peoples

REINA SINCLAIR

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Liberal Candidate - Regina Walsh Acres

Michael Wolverine

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Liberal Candidate - Athabasca

Aaron C. Sinclair

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Liberal Candidate - Yorkton

ORRIN GREYEYES

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Liberal Candidate - Rosthern-Shellbrook

DEXTER GOPHER

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Liberal Candidate - The Battlefords

BRENDA COLENUTT

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Liberal Candidate - Moose Jaw North

ROD GOPHER

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Liberal Candidate - Cut Knife-Turtleford

WINSTON MCKAY

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Liberal Candidate - Prince Albert Carlton

DOLORES PAHTAYKEN

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Liberal Candidate - Lloydminister

GEORGE MORIN

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Liberal Candidate - Cumberland

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SHAWN SETYO 

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Green Candidate - Saskatoon Eastview

ASIA YELLOWTAIL

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Green Candidate - Prince Albert Carlton 

TRACE YELLOWTAIL

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Green Candidate - Prince Albert Northcote

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Please let us know if there are any other Indigenous candidates and if you have any missing social media accounts.

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Toll Free: 1-877-958-8683

Elections Saskatchewan - Voter Information

Ways to vote

Find My Constituency

Voter registration

ID to vote

Voters Guide for First Nations

2015 Election Results in Ridings with over 10% Aboriginal Population

The Indigenous Vote did make a difference in the 2015 Federal election.

In 2015 it has been stated and discussed that Indigenous (First Nation, Metis and Inuit) participation in the 2015 Federal Election has been unprecedented.  Eric Grenier who is the founder of poll aggregator threehundredeight website noted that the Indigenous voter turnout was up based on certain indicators. 

We can state the uptick in Indigenous involvement in Canada federal election is real in terms of the sheer number of candidates that ran for nomination for various national parties, including a record 57 that were on the ballot. There were a further an addditional 20-plus Indigenous people who ran for their party’s nomination and were either unsuccessful or removed as a nomination candidate.

Assembly of First Nation’s National Chief Perry Bellegarde started a national call to action encouraging Aboriginal people to participate and get active in the federal election. During the AFN’s 36^th First Nations AGM he stated “We have to harness that political power because members of parliament running, if they know that First Nations people don’t vote, they don’t really care about our issues…” (CTV). At the AGM, the AFN also released a list of 51 ridings that they thought should be targeted based on Aboriginal people’s ability affect the swing vote and outcome of the election.

This Indigenous Politics Blog founded by Joshua Fraser began tracking Indigenous candidates in early 2015, with the help of Pundits Guides, partisans and party operatives the blog tracked First Nation, Metis and Inuit candidates who were running for party nominations throughout Canada. This blog also focused on potential opportunity of the Aboriginal vote. Our approach was to look at the ridings that had an Aboriginal population of 10% or higher within the general Canadian citizen population of those ridings. The AFN focussed on 51 swing ridings. 

Click on on image to enlarge

#Bythenumbers - In our #Top38 ridings 

FIRST PLACE

Liberal

- 13 Elected, 2 re-elected, 11 newly elected

- 6 Indigenous MPs were elected, 1 of them re-elected

- An additional two Indigenous MPs were elected outside of our Top 38

Conservative 

- 15 elected in out Top 38 ridings

- 2 Indigenous MPs and 3 indigenous candidates were unsuccessful

NDP

- 9 were elected in our Top 38 ridings

- 1 new Indigenous MP was elected, 1 re-elected and 1 lost his seat

BQ

- 1 Bloc Quebecois was elected in our Top 38 ridings

Notable

- 2 Liberal Ministers appointed as part of our Top 38

- 1 Liberal Parliamentary Secretary 

- 1 Indigenous Affairs Critics: 1 CPC | 3 NDP* | 1 BQ

*2 Indigenous NDP critics 

SECOND PLACE

- 17 Liberal finished second place in our Top 38, 3 Indigenous

- 12 NDP finished second place, 3 Indigenous

- 9 CPC, 1 Indigenous

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Sources:

- StatsCanada - 2011 National Household Survey*

- PollsMaps.ca - 2013 Redistribution of Votes 

- Elections Canada - 2015 Election Results

*Update: 

-Ralph Goodale won in Regina-Wascana, not Regina-Qu'Appelle, SK

-Hayway is a Liberal who finished second in Provencher, MB

Current and Historical Indigenous Senators in Canadian Senate

There are currently 22 vacancies in the Senate, now is the opportunity to considering First Nation, Inuit and Metis people who would make great Senators.

Dec. 8, 2015

With all this talk about Senate reform, scandals and abolition, now is a good time to remind people that there are hard-working Senators that do good work. Including a handful of Indigenous senators.

From an Indigenous perspective, First Nation, Metis and Inuit representation in the Upper House has been lacking. There are currently five Indigenous senators, with three becoming of mandatory retirement age over the next 5 years. 

Senators Watt, Sibbeston, Dyck and Lovelace Nicholas are members of the Liberal Senate Forum which is separate from the House of Commons Liberal Party of Canada caucus. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau removed the Liberal Senators from the Liberal Party caucus in January 2014. Senator Patrick Brazeau is currently styled as a Independent Senator but is not a sitting member, full restoration or potential to be removed are pending legal cases. 

There has been suggestions of abolishing the Senate. Respected professor and political pundit Emmet Mcfarlane suggests that abolition or certain structural changes to the Senate makeup would require constitutional change, with unanimous approval of Parliament and all 10 provincial legislatures. With Ontario, Quebec and other provinces against Senate abolition, it very unlikely that a constitutional change to the Senate would pass. 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government has chosen a different path (Read) to reform the Senate. Basically, the government would set up a expert panel who would review potential appointments based on merit and contributions to Canadian. The panel would intern suggest appointments to the Prime Minister for appointment to the Senate. 

The Prime Minister plans on appointing five new Senators early in the new year (2016) and fulfill all vacancies by the end of 2016. There are currently 22 vacancies and more to come, now is a good time to start thinking the many First Nation, Inuit and Metis people who could be appointed.

INDIGENOUS SENATORS

Charlie Watt

Inuit (Nunavik), QC

Appointed: Jan. 16, 1984

Appointed by: PM Pierre Trudeau

Term: 31 years serves | 4 years remaining 

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Nick G. Sibbeston

Liidii Kue (Dehcho)

Appointed: Sept. 2, 1999

Appointed: PM Jean Chretien

NWT

Term: 16 years served | 3 years remaining

BIO | TWITTER | FACEBOOK

Lillian Eva Dyck

Cree (Gordon First Nation), SK

Appointed: Mar. 3, 2005

Appointed by: PM Paul Martin

Term: 10 years served | 5 year remaining

BIO | TWITTER | FACEBOOK

Sandra Lovelace Nicholas

Maliseet (Tobique First Nation), NB

Appointed: Sept. 9, 2005

Appointed by: PM Paul Martin

Term: 10 years served | 8 remaining

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Patrick Brazeau

Algonquin (Kitigan Zibi), BC

Appointed: Jan. 8, 2009

Appointed by: PM Stephen Harper

Term: 6 years | 34 years remaining

*Brazeau is a Senator but not currently sitting as a member in the Senate

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History of Indigenous Senators

• 15 Indigenous Senators appointed in total
• 5 Indigenous Senators today within the 15 noted
• 9 First Nation, 4 Metis and 2 Inuit
• 3 Women 

List of Indigenous Senators appointed to date (Dec. 2015)

Source(s)

Parliament of Canada: http://tinyurl.com/zyg8sux

Blog: J. Fraser (Dec. 2015)