On a pre-election tour to visit with his 42 MPs, Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh stopped by to visit Desnethé–Missinippi–Churchill River MP Georgina Jolibois and her constituents.
“We want people to know that we have their back,” said Singh during a visit to La Ronge Tuesday. “We will be fighting for them in Ottawa.”
Monday the pair went to Stanley Mission for an award gathering that honoured two community members. Janet McKenzie for excellence in health care, and Lester Roberts, who saved two people in a plane crash. Afterwards, they opened the floor to residents at the band hall.
“We met with some of the community members and talked about what they are going through and the concerns that folks have around access to resources, opportunities for education and for good work,” Singh said.
While he was aware of Indigenous issues, Singh notes that it is something that you don’t understand until you see it firsthand.
“It’s just wrong that people who live in the north, that live in rural communities, don’t get the same shot at building a good life for themselves and their families,” explained the 40-year-old politician. “It’s something that I want to make sure we are strong advocates for.”
At the beginning of the month, Lac La Ronge Indian Band Chief Tammy Cook-Searson officially celebrated her Liberal candidacy for Desnethé–Missinippi–Churchill River MP.
“Having this tour is one of our ways of saying, ‘I believe in Georgina, we need her back in Parliament,’” said Singh on how they intend to keep the riding orange. “Having someone with the passion and advocacy and experience as a champion of the people for this riding.”
Jolibois explains that her top priorities for Indigenous concerns are child welfare and Bill C-91, which is an act regarding the respect of Indigenous languages.
“One piece I am really nervous about is the Commissioner of the Language Act, which is the top bureaucrat in Ottawa will be responsible for the Language Act,” said Jolibois. “The Liberals chose that the person should be non-Indigenous, and I put in an amendment and I am asking for a change to this to ensure the person is an Indigenous person.”
The three top issues that concern Singh are housing, access to services and the environment.
“If we are looking at Indigenous communities, there is a housing shortage and a quality of house lack, but that is something that also exists across Canada,” adds Singh.
He says that if he is elected, his government will address the affordability, quality and the scarcity of the housing for all Canadians.
“Health care is not at the level it needs to be, so we need to fund it adequately from a federal level,” said Singh about access to services. “They (Canadians) can’t afford to get medications to get well. If you need medications, you should use your health card, not your credit card.”
Regarding the environment, Singh says it is going to take thousands of Canadians to fight climate change, which can help provide a long-term sustainable economy while protecting our surroundings.
“Folks really want to protect the environment, people really care about the water, the land and the air, and we want to make sure we put forward a plan that protects the environment while creating good jobs.”
Jolibois and Singh participated in a town clean-up day, stopped by Scattered Sights Outreach Program, had a tour of Northlands College and met with elders at the La Ronge Senior Citizen’s Club.
Tomorrow the duo will be in Meadow Lake for a public meet-and-greet at Jolibois’ constituency office, followed by a visit to Carpenter High School and North West College.
The federal election is scheduled for October 21st, 2019.
(Desnethé–Missinippi–Churchill River MP Georgina Jolibois and NDP leader Jagmeet Singh in La Ronge. Photo by Katrina Cameron.)