Premier-elect Notley pledges to consult with Aboriginal people

Premier-elect Rachel Notley has pledged to work with Aboriginal people.

“And to Alberta’s Indigenous peoples, the trust that we have been given tonight is a call to be better neighbours and better partners. And I am looking forward to consulting with you and learning from you,” said Notley in her acceptance speech.

Notley’s New Democratic Party made history May 5, crushing the right wing parties and forming the new majority government with 54 seats. Her party swept all 19 Edmonton ridings and had victories right across the province. In Calgary, the NDP took 14 of the 25 sets and in Calgary-Glenmore both the NDP candidate and PC incumbent ended the night tied with 7,015 votes.

“It’s time for a new government to be given a chance,” said Assembly of First Nations Alberta Regional Chief Cameron Alexis. “The Progressive Conservatives have had 43 years to get it right and I still haven’t seen it.”

Alexis pointed to lack of revenue sharing, continual battles over treaty rights, and little results from partnership agreements aimed to better the standard of living for First Nations people.

But Treaty 8 Grand Chief Steve Courtoreille, also Chief of the Mikisew Cree Nation,  isn’t so sure a change in government is a good thing.

“It’s going to push everything back and it’s not what we need, almost starting over again,” said Courtoreille. “I sensed a willingness on the part of the (Prentice government) wanting to work with us.”

Courtoreille is hopeful that the Notley government will be inclined to follow through with some of the commitments made by the PCs, especially in education.

With a handful of Aboriginal candidates running, for the first time in 25 years there will be no Indigenous representation in the Alberta Legislature.

Pearl Calahasen, whose 2012 election win as PC MLA for Lesser Slave Lake made her the longest serving MLA in the province having come into office in 1989 as the first elected Métis woman, was taken out by the orange wave. She placed third, behind both the NDP and Wildrose contenders.

The NDP had two Indigenous candidates. Metis Don Monroe fought a see-saw battle with PC Cabinet Minister Manmeet Bhullar and ended up losing the Calgary-Greenway riding by just over 800 votes. Kathleen Swampy, from Maskwacis, placed third in the Drayton Valley-Devon riding, losing by less than 1,500 votes to the Wildrose Party candidate.

The Indigenous slate of candidates was rounded out by Josh Drozda with the Green Party, who finished a distant fifth in the riding of Leduc-Beaumont, and Tomi Yellowface, who ran under the Liberal banner and finished fourth in the Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview riding. Both ridings went to the NDP.

Both Alexis and Courtoreille are disappointed in the number of Aboriginal candidates.

“If we want to effect change, if we want a voice, we have to be at those venues, at those opportune times… those people are the decision makers. Chiefs and councils are decision makers, too. But we have to be at all facets of decision making relative to the well-being of our people,” said Alexis.

The Progressive Conservatives dropped to 11 seats from 70 and third place standing in the Legislature. In his concession speech, Premier Jim Prentice took responsibility for the decision to call the election a year earlier than his mandate required as well as responsibility for the results. He resigned effective immediately as leader of the PC party and stepped down as MLA for Calgary Foothills, one of the few city ridings the PCs managed to hold.

The Wildrose Party, almost decimated by the defection of 11 members in December, remained the Official Opposition, increasing their number of seats from five to 20. Leader Brian Jean won his seat in Fort McMurray-Conklin.

Interim Liberal leader David Swann won his party’s sole seat in the riding of Calgary Mountain View. Alberta Party leader Greg Clark won in Calgary-Elbow.

The NDP took 41 per cent of the popular vote, while the PC’s earned 28 per cent and Wildrose 24 per cent.

Voter turnout was just over 58 per cent. In 2012, 54 per cent of eligible voters cast ballots.