REGINA - With polls for Voting Week set to open Tuesday, New Democrats were making a particular pitch to Indigenous voters.
Standing at the Legislature, Betty Nippi-Albright, who is seeking re-election in Saskatoon Centre, urged Indigenous people to get out and vote.
“To the people, the indigenous people of this province, your vote matters. This election, your vote matters more than ever before. I say these words as a residential school survivor of nine years. I see this message as a descendant of a Treaty Four signatory. I also say this message to all of you because I know you believe it is time for change, just like me.”
She noted that Indigenous people did not have the right to vote until 1960. “However, our vote has the power to change the government. And we cannot afford four more years of Scott Moe and the Sask Party.”
In her media availability Nippi-Albright touted the NDP’s plan, saying they would work as true partners with First Nations and Métis people. She told reporters Indigenous people want to be included in decision making.
"I often hear governments give platitudes when it comes to reconciliation. Empty words… We need to work together in a meaningful way. Indigenous people have been ignored for far too long. They need to be part of those discussions and that is what the NDP has been doing.”
The media availability by Nippi-Albright has been part of a particular push by the New Democrat campaign in recent days to Indigenous voters, and particularly those in the province’s North.
On the weekend, NDP leader Carla Beck took her campaign to northern ridings including Athabasca, a seat currently held by the Sask Party’s Jim Lemaigre. While there, Beck promised a new K-12 school for Buffalo Narrows.
Beck also issued a joint statement along with Nippi-Albright on the weekend saying the NDP would commit to “passing meaningful Duty To Consult legislation, especially when it comes to the sell off of our Crown lands.” They also pledged to work with First Nations and Metis communities to end the healthcare crisis, and apologize for the provincial government’s role in the Timber Bay and Île-à-la-Crosse residential schools.
While the NDP was making its pitch to Indigenous voters, Premier Scott Moe was in Martensville on Monday, where he urged voters to vote early to avoid lineups on the final day of voting on Oct. 28.
Moe also put out a video to that effect on social media, where he encouraged people to vote.
Voting week in Saskatchewan begins Oct. 22 and polls are open through Oct. 28 with the exception of Sunday, Oct. 27.
