Record 10 indigenous MPs elected to the House of Commons

8 Liberal and 2 NDP MPs of indigenous heritage will take a seat in Parliament

By Tim Fontaine, CBC News Posted: Oct 20, 2015 8:37 AM ET, Last Updated: Oct 20, 2015 2:56 PM ET, Source

In the inner-city riding of Winnipeg Centre, Liberal candidate Robert Falcon-Ouellete unseated long-time NDP MP Pat Martin, capturing 56 per cent of the vote. (CBC)

There will be a record number of indigenous people in the House of Commons following Monday's federal election, which saw 10 indigenous MPs elected.

That's an increase of three from the 2011 election, when seven indigenous people won seats. But there was a significant shift towards Liberal representation, away from Conservative and NDP.

Of the 18 indigenous candidates the Liberals ran, eight won seats. Only one, Yvonne Jones from Labrador, was an incumbent.

Notable new Liberal MPs include Jody Wilson-Raybould, a regional chief of the Assembly of First Nations who took the newly created riding of Vancouver-Granville with just over 40 per cent of the vote.

In the inner-city riding of Winnipeg Centre, former mayoral candidate Robert-Falcon Ouellette unseated longtime NDP MP Pat Martin, capturing 56 per cent of the vote.

"The goal of this campaign was never, never, never just to win. The goal of this campaign was to see your values reflected in Ottawa, to see your values reflected in our Parliament," Ouellette said Monday night.

The NDP, which ran 22 indigenous candidates, saw just two of them elected. Incumbent Romeo Saganash barely held his Abitibi-Baie-James-Nunavik-Eeyou seat in a tight race against a non-indigenous Liberal challenger.

The Green Party ran 10 indigenous candidates but none were elected.

Nunavut Liberal candidate Hunter Tootoo defeated Inuit MP and cabinet minister Leona Aglukkaq. (Sima Sahar Zerehi/CBC)

 

The Conservatives, who once had four sitting indigenous MPs — the most of any party — lost every single one of them in this election. Two opted not to run again but two others were defeated, including the first Inuk cabinet minister, Leona Aglukkaq, who placed third in Nunavut. 

While there were a record 54 indigenous candidates running in this election, indigenous people will end up occupying just three per cent of the 338 seats in the House of Commons:

Liberal Party of Canada

• Vance Badawey (Métis) - Niagara Centre, Ontario
• Yvonne Jones (Inuit) - Labrador
• Michael McLeod (Métis) - Northwest Territories
• Robert-Falcon Ouellette (Cree) - Winnipeg Centre, Manitoba
• Don Rusnak (Anishinaabe) - Thunder Bay-Rainy River, Ontario
• Hunter Tootoo (Inuit) - Nunavut
• ​Dan Vandal (Métis) - Saint Boniface-Saint Vital, Manitoba
• Jody Wilson-Raybould (Kwakwaka'wakw) - Vancouver Granville, B.C.

NDP

• Georgina Jolibois (Dene) - Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River, Saskatchewan
• Romeo Saganash (Cree) - Abitibi-Baie-James-Nunavik--Eeyou, Quebec

Those newly elected indigenous MPs now represent ridings in British Columbia, Nunavut, Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Working relationship

Justin Trueau's Liberal Party has promised significant improvements to First Nations education, including $2.6 billion in new funding over four years, as well as a vow to call an inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women and girls.

Trudeau also promised to end boil-water advisories on First Nations reserves within five years.

On Twitter, the head of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) congratulated the Liberals on their victory and national chief Perry Bellegarde said he looks forward to working with the new government on "closing the gap" — the AFN's plan for reducing poverty and improving education for First Nations.

Two new Liberal MPs in Calgary are the first carrying the red banner in cowtown since 1968

Annalise Klingbeil and Darcy Henton, Postmedia News, October 20, 2015 11:58 AM ET, Source

The Liberals have two new faces in Calgary. Darshan Kang, left, and Kent Hehr right.

The Liberals have come to Calgary for the first time since 1968.

Former two-term Liberal MLA Darshan Kang made history by ending a 47-year-old federal Liberal drought in Calgary on Monday evening.

Kang snatched the diverse Calgary Skyview riding from Conservative incumbent Devinder Shory and became the first Liberal MP to be elected in Calgary since 1968, under the first wave of Trudeaumania.

“I’m feeling great. I’m glad it’s over,” said Kang after declaring victory, as supporters cheered.

“I can’t explain it in a word. I don’t have the words. I’m honoured and privileged. I want to thank all the constituents of Calgary Skyview who made this possible.”

Across town, Liberal Kent Hehr managed to snatch Calgary Centre from the Conservatives when the last vote was counted.

Hehr and Kang are headed to Parliament Hill, smashing the barrier that has held the Liberals out of the city for 46 years.

“It was probably the biggest night of my life,” Hehr said, as he was embraced by his mother and surrounded by a throng of jubilant supporters outside his election night headquarters in downtown Calgary.

“It’s been far too long since we’ve had a non-Conservative to Ottawa and I’m proud to be going with my friend Darshan Kang to represent this city proudly and boldly,” Hehr told reporters.

Kang’s tiny northeast campaign office was a hive of activity on Monday, packed with people cheering, dancing, and gleefully shouting as they crowded into an adjacent tent to watch election results come in.

Nearby, at Shory’s strip mall campaign headquarters, the Tory hopeful was nowhere to be seen as a handful of people sat in a quiet room and watched results trickle in.

Shory could not be reached for comment as results came in Monday, but earlier in the evening as polls closed, he told the Herald he was feeling optimistic.

“We’ve been working very hard for the last two months and I’m very happy and very proud of my team,” he said.

“I’ve had a very positive relationship with my constituents for the last seven years.”

Shory said he repeatedly heard at doorsteps that people were concerned about the economy and the “safety and security of Canada.”

Late in the evening, Shory’s campaign strategist spoke to media and said a post-mortem was planed “to figure out in more detail what happened here.”

“As far as the ground game, we felt we put together a strong position and communication at the door. I think ultimately there was a lot of undecided people and we’ll have to think more in detail why undecided went with Liberals,” said campaign strategist Steven Ladd.

Ladd said Shory was a strong advocate for the riding and he plans to continue to be involved in the community despite Monday’s loss.

Earlier in the night, Kang said he was feeling great but expecting a tight race.

“We’re not taking anything for granted,” the 64-year-old said.

I think ultimately there was a lot of undecided people and we’ll have to think more in detail why undecided went with Liberals

Kang is no stranger to tight election races — he was first elected as an MLA in Calgary-McCall in the 2008 provincial election by just 118 votes.

Located in the city’s northeast, Calgary Skyview was labelled a potential battleground when the election campaign launched 11 weeks ago. In recent weeks, political scientists said they believed the diverse riding could tip to the Grits.

Kang’s win came after more than 2,000 people showed up to a raucous rally hosted by Liberal leader Justin Trudeau in Calgary Skyview on the final day of campaigning Sunday.

Calgary Skyview is home to more than 11,000 residents and is one of the most ethnically diverse ridings in Alberta. It’s a new riding, created through redistribution, and replaces the Calgary Northeast constituency.

Calgary Centre has had exciting races in the past.

The Conservative incumbent Joan Crockatt narrowly defeated Liberal Harvey Locke three years ago, with the Green Party’s Chris Turner finishing a close third. In 2000, Progressive Conservative leader Joe Clark won the seat to prevent a Canadian Alliance sweep of Calgary.

Crockatt won the November 2012 byelection with 37 per cent of the vote.

Congrats to Mr Kang.  Guru Nanak Ki Jai!!!!

Darshan Kang and Kent Hehr — both former provincial legislature members — became the first federal Liberals elected in Calgary in almost half a century.

In Edmonton Mill Woods, Liberal Amarjeet Sohi, a city councillor, took down Conservative cabinet minister Tim Uppal by just 80 votes.

In Edmonton Centre, Liberal candidate Randy Boissonnault knocked out a fellow rookie, Conservative James Cumming.

====================

Alberta Election Results: Liberals Capture First Calgary Seats Since 1968

CP  |  By Dean Bennett, The Canadian Press, Posted: 10/20/2015 1:58 am EDT, Source

Darshan Kang became the first Liberal to win in Calgary since 1968.

EDMONTON — Rolling to victory across Canada on Monday, Justin Trudeau's Liberals also carved out a tiny — but historic — beachhead of four seats at the base of the Conservative fortress in Alberta.

Darshan Kang and Kent Hehr — both former provincial legislature members — became the first federal Liberals elected in Calgary in almost half a century.

Kang edged out Conservative incumbent Devinder Shory in a nailbiter in Calgary Skyview. Hehr upset Conservative incumbent Joan Crockatt in Calgary Centre.

The last Liberal to win in Calgary was Patrick Mahoney in Calgary-South in 1968. It was one of four Alberta seats taken by the Liberals in the euphoria of Trudeaumania under Trudeau's father, Pierre.

A tent outside Kang's campaign office was crammed to the edges by the time the results were official.

Bollywood-style music blared as Kang made his way through the raucous crowd to deliver his victory speech.

He acknowledged the historical significance of the occasion, calling it a "new dawn'' for someone who came to Canada from India's Punjab 45 years ago.

"This country gave me a chance to build my life and my family,'' he said. "In Canada the sky is the limit if one is willing to work hard.''

Hehr called the victory the greatest moment of his life.

"I believe we have changed this city and Canada for the better,'' said Hehr. "I've had a lot of great moments in my life, but truly going to Ottawa to represent a better future for this great city and this great country, nothing has come close.''

In Edmonton Mill Woods, Liberal Amarjeet Sohi, a city councillor, took down Conservative cabinet minister Tim Uppal by just 80 votes.

"Today you've defeated the politics of division!'' Sohi shouted to the cheering crowd.

In Edmonton Centre, Liberal candidate Randy Boissonnault knocked out a fellow rookie, Conservative James Cumming.

It had been a long time in the political desert for federal Liberals in Alberta. The party last won a federal seat when cabinet minister Anne McLellan and David Kilgour triumphed in Edmonton in the 2004 campaign.

Political scientist Chaldeans Mensah said the late surge in popularity by the Liberals helped them break new ground in Calgary while splitting the vote and costing the NDP in their traditional base in Edmonton.

"In terms of Alberta, the Conservative support has really held from the fact that the Trudeau wave resulted in a split,'' said Mensah, with MacEwan University in Edmonton.

Stephen Harper's team once again won all but a handful of seats in the province.

Harper, Health Minister Rona Ambrose and Defence Minister Jason Kenney were among those winning again. Other members of Harper's cabinet — Michelle Rempel, Kevin Sorenson, and Deepak Obhrai — were also re-elected.

NDP incumbent Linda Duncan, the only non-Conservative elected in the last campaign in 2011, won in Edmonton-Strathcona for a third term.

The New Democrats had hoped the history-making May election victory by Rachel Notley and the provincial wing of the party would aid federal fortunes, but it was reduced to third-party status.

The NDP has always been a mere pinprick on Alberta's federal electoral map. Only two NDPers have ever won in the province: Ross Harvey in Edmonton East in 1988 and Duncan in 2008, 2011 and 2015.

Duncan said the NDP MPs would hold the Liberals accountable and she predicted the party will be back.

"We've got four years to build and we're going to do it this time,'' she said.

— With files from Lauren Krugel and Ian Bickis in Calgary and Rob Drinkwater in Edmonton

Great things are ahead for Canadians, Harper was an American puppet.

LEGALIZIN IT

So you trying to say that the Canadians won't have a one race, one age, cabinet like Guyana?  

Justin Trudeau's cabinet composition will compose of people from various ethnic groups plus it will indeed be a progressive and forward-thinking one.

Pass it on the left han side....puff pufff passss.... ahhhhh  yessss