First Indigenous Canadian Provincial Premier Elected in Manitoba

Following a divisive election campaign, Manitoba has elected Canada’s first provincial First Nations premier, giving the progressive leader a legislative majority.

Since 2017, Wab Kinew, the NDP’s (New Democratic Party) 41-year-old leader, has served as the party’s leader in the province. Former rapper, writer for a TV outlet, and administrator for a university, Kinew claimed his newly elected administration will prioritize reopening three emergency rooms that had been closed recently. He said that the province would boost its spending on social housing.

“A lot of people in the big cities, they look down on us here in Manitoba. ‘Flyover country,’ they said. ‘Winter-peg, Man-it-is-cold-out,’ they said,” Kinew told supporters after securing victory. “But look what little old Manitoba did tonight. Manitoba did something more progressive than any of those big cities ever did. We elected a strong team of New Democrats to fix healthcare and make your life more affordable.”

His triumph ensured his position in the annals of history as the inaugural First Nations individual to take on the role of premier. Kinew, born to an Anishinaabe chieftain, spent his formative years on Onigaming First Nation territories in the adjacent province of Ontario. While John Norquay, a Métis politician who assumed office in 1878, was the province’s maiden Indigenous premier.

The recent NDP success provides a crucial political boost to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has been contending with a robust conservative opposition spanning from Alberta to Prince Edward Island.

The previous premier, Heather Stefanson, committed to opposing the federal carbon tax and ascended to the province’s highest position during party disputes in autumn 2021. If she had been elected, it would have been a historic moment, marking the province’s first female premier.

Before the election, survey data indicated that her Progressive Conservatives (PC) trailed the NDP. The party faced criticism for their contentious advertisements, which underscored their choice against probing a Winnipeg landfill for the bodies of two Indigenous women, suspected victims of a serial murderer.

“Mr. Kinew and I don’t always agree on everything, but like me, I know that he loves this province and he loves the people of Manitoba,” Stefanson said. “Wab, I hope that your win tonight inspires a future generation of Indigenous youth to get involved in our democratic process – not just here in Manitoba but right across the country.”

Kinew asserted that the “people of Manitoba are good people,” in contrast to his opponents who tried to sow division by running on a “divisive message.” In his victory speech, he specifically addressed Indigenous youth, noting that they continue to encounter a number of institutional roadblocks and unfavorable perceptions, but pledging to provide them with the supports and chances they need to change their lives.

“I want to speak to the young neechies out there,” he said, using an Ojibway word for friend. “My life became immeasurably better when I stopped making excuses and I started looking for a reason. And I found that reason in our family, I found that reason in our community. And I found that reason in our province and country.”

The ruling PC party has targeted Kinew’s difficult past, including a criminal charge for assault and another for driving while intoxicated, as part of their effort to stay in power. Kinew claimed on the campaign trail that a trying time in his life inspired him to enter politics.

“I was given a second chance in life,” said Kinew. “And I would like to think that I’ve made good on that opportunity.”

Kinew will be sworn in Wednesday.