‘Gratifying’: Indigenous leaders reflect on Kinew’s historic election win in Manitoba
Manitobans made history Tuesday night for electing an NDP government led by Wab Kinew, who is to become the first First Nations premier of a province in Canada.
Kinew was raised as a young boy on the Onigaming First Nation in northwestern Ontario, later moving with his family to Winnipeg. His late father was not allowed to vote as a young man under Canadian law at the time.
“To witness this tonight, it’s really gratifying,” Eric Robinson, a former Manitoba NDP cabinet minister and deputy premier, said in an interview.
“I think First Nations people, and Indigenous people in general across Canada, should feel proud of Manitoba. We’ve demonstrated through perseverance, some hard work and participation in the mainstream Canadian politics, that it has paid off in a big way.”