Trent Wotherspoon. Photo courtesy of Manfred Joehnck.
Saskatchewan’s NDP leader says the provincial government could have, and should have, done more to end the economic disparity facing the province’s growing Aboriginal population.
In a year-end interview with MBC news, Trent Wotherspoon, says with province facing a billion dollar budget deficit, those who are already suffering, will suffer more.
The fastest and youngest segment of the Saskatchewan population is Aboriginal, representing about 16 per cent of residents. That number is forecast to hit 25 per cent by the year 2030.
Trent Wotherspoon says those numbers could represent great economic growth, or economic disaster, depending on how well the government can respond to some of the pressing issues, like poverty and lack of education.
“If we don’t act on these fronts, it limits and hurts the future of many across the province,” he said. “It will devastate the lives of many, and it hurts our entire province, economically and socially.”
Wotherspoon believes the First Nations community is ready, willing and able to be part of the solution, but he says the government is not moving fast enough to make that happen.
“We need a government that is ready to make commitments, to sit at a table, and work through issues and make those investments,” he said. “For First Nations leadership, I believe they are ready to focus on what is going to make us all stronger.”
It has been a tough year for the provincial New Democrats. They elected only ten members to the 61- seat legislature in last April’s election.
Party leader Cam Broten was among those to lose his seat. He resigned shortly after.
Wotherspoon has been named interim leader, but will not be in the running next year when the party picks a permanent replacement.