Lakeland Liberal candidate Garry Parenteau jokingly said before the election that his party was “going for” a majority government. Never did he think the red wave would be so strong.

Justin Trudeau’s Liberals began its sweep in the Atlantic, carried through to Quebec and Ontario to the northern territories and then got a smattering of seats throughout the prairies before ending with a strong showing in British Columbia.
In total, the Liberals captured 184 seats, an increase of 150 from the 2011 election.

October 19, 2015

The red wave that swept Justin Trudeau into Ottawa as prime minister of a Liberal majority government with 184 seats by-passed Alberta.

The province’s sole Aboriginal Liberal candidate, Garry Parenteau, placed a distant second in the northern riding of Lakeland. Lakeland was the only riding in the province with two Aboriginal candidates. NDP Duane Zaraska placed third. With
192 of 235 polls counted, Lakeland went to Conservative Shannon Stubbs.

Eggen to speak at Treaty 7 education conference

CUTLINE:

Peace River-Westlock candidate Cameron Alexis with NDP leader Thomas Mulcair at the recent Assembly of First Nations open forum on Enoch Cree Nation. (Photo: Shari Narine)

RIDING: PEACE RIVER-WESTLOCK

Former Alberta Regional Chief for the Assembly of First Nations Cameron Alexis is in the home stretch of working the campaign trail for the New Democratic Party in the newly formed riding of Peace River-Westlock.

RIDING: EDMONTON-MANNING

Aaron Paquette is carrying the New Democratic Party banner in a riding that a CBC poll analyst says could crack the Conservative armour in Alberta.

That’s not a surprise to Paquette, who’s been knocking on doors and talking to “thousands and thousands” of people in the riding of Edmonton-Manning.

October 9, 2015

O’Chiese First Nations Elder Theresa Strawberry feels change is in the air.

“There are things happening now that weren’t happening before,” said Strawberry, who points to her position as Elder at West Central High School in Rocky Mountain House.

Strawberry was one of 400 people to attend the first ever symposium on First Nations, Métis and Inuit education, co-hosted by the College of Alberta School Superintendents and First Nations, Métis and Inuit education division of Alberta Education.

Only one riding in Alberta has two Indigenous candidates going head-to-head. This is the riding that stands the strongest chance of sending an Aboriginal Member of Parliament to Ottawa.

October 8, 2015

In a survey that went out to all four major parties in the federal election, the City of Calgary asked for response on nine major topics, among which was the funding of Aboriginal strategies. The City of Calgary is home to over 27,000 Aboriginal peoples. In March 2014, the city proclaimed the “Year of Reconciliation.”

October 8, 2015. A Liberal government will give greater support to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and sexual harassment, and ensure that more perpetrators are brought to justice. “Liberals have long called for a national public inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada, and we will immediately launch an inquiry if we form government,” said Liberal candidate for Terrebonne, Que., Michèle Audette, former president for the Native Women’s Association of Canada.

Changes to come to NSD governance