Political parties speak on Indigenous issues ahead of campaign trail

The reinstatement of a special advisor on Indigenous women’s issues, 24/7 drop-ins and the development of a database tracking Missing and Murdered Indigenous Girls and Two-Spirit people are just some of the promises laid out by the opposition NDP as Manitoba’s political parties lay out their intentions for the province if elected.

“We have to do everything within our power to prioritize the protection of Indigenous women and girls and two-spirited. There is an ongoing genocide and we have to protect women and girls,” explained Nahanni Fontaine, Manitoba NDP.

Incumbent MLA for St. Johns’ Nahanni Fontaine, outlines the opposition NDP’s plan to protect Indigenous women, girls and two-spirited people if elected into government in October. (Photo Credit: Morgan Modjeski, CityNews)

“Government is who establishes the programs, who establishes policies and legislation that protect Indigenous women — or in this case, as we’ve seen over the last seven years — do not protect Indigenous women. So we need an individual that is wholly devoted to working with families, with communities and government.”

Plans outlined by the NDP also include the establishment of a Indigenous Victims Services Unit, examination and revamp of police standards for MMIWGS cases and developing a committee of cabinet on MMIWGS and gender-based violence.

St. Johns’ incumbent Nahanni Fontaine said the plan has been developed in close consultation with those directly affected.

“Families have been abandoned, they’ve been disrespected and they’ve been forgotten since 2016 by this current PC government,” said Fontiane.

Across the Red River, Liberal Leader Dougald LaMont, announced if elected they would establish a Manitoba Business Development Bank that would see “free money” grants flow to businesses through the establishment of equity investments where Government buys shares in a company — as opposed to focusing on loans and debts.

Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont speaks about the party’s plan to boost local businesses, while also putting support behind a search of two Winnipeg-area landfills as part of an ongoing police investigation into the deaths of four women in Winnipeg. (Photo Credit: Morgan Modjeski, CityNews)

Lamont said if elected the Liberals, like the NDP, would commit to searching the Prairie Green Landfill and Brady Landfill as part of the investigation into the alleged murders of Rebecca Contois, Marcedes Myran and Morgan Harris, alongside an unidentified woman known as Buffalo Woman.

“We know what side we’re on, and we’re on the side of the victims,” said LaMont.

Lamont said the search should go ahead, something the P.C.s have refused to take action on, now that it’s been deemed possible saying the fact the search has become political is “disgraceful.”

“People have lost sight of the most important thing which is the victims. There are murder victims and their families who are grieving…there shouldn’t be a debate. We should all be on the side of people who are grieving, because their loved ones were murdered. They are victims of crime, so we are unequivocal in that, we have to stand with victims of crime.”

In a statement, the P.C. Party of Manitoba Party said it has been working to protect Indigenous women, developing a homelessness and violent crime strategy, while funding over 1,600 addictions treatment spaces, saying it will continue to do more to support MMIWG2S people.

On the landfill searches, the statement said: “It was a tough decision not to search, but the safety of Manitoba workers is paramount. We know not everyone may agree – but we can all agree that this situation was tragic, and we are committed to making sure these types of tragedies don’t happen again.