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WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — In a first for Canada, the voters of Manitoba have elected a First Nations member to be premier of one of the country's provinces.
Wab Kinew led the New Democratic Party to winning a majority of seats in Manitoba's legislature in Tuesday's election, knocking the Progressive Conservatives from power. He will now lead Manitoba's government as premier.
“Manitobans voted for better health care and Manitobans voted to come together for a positive vision of the future, and if along the way they elected an Indigenous premier then I would say that’s another testament to our country moving forward," Kinew said at a news conference Wednesday.
Kinew, 41, said the people of Manitoba rejected what he called the divisive messages of the Progressive Conservatives and embraced his party’s message of unity.
“I am extraordinary proud that our province chose to rise above that division,” he said.
Kinew was raised as a young boy on the Onigaming First Nation in northwestern Ontario, later moving with his family to Winnipeg. His late father wasn't allowed to vote as a young man under Canadian law at the time.
During his victory speech late Tuesday, Kinew said young Indigenous people and those of all backgrounds who are struggling can change their lives for the better.
“But here’s the thing. You have to want it,” he said. “If you want to leave the party lifestyle behind, it has to be you to make the decision. If you want to join the workforce, get a new career, it has to be you to take the first step. And if you’re dealing with some kind of illness and you want to find healing, it has to be you to decide to move forward.
“I can’t do that for you. A government can’t do that for you.”
Kinew is a former rapper, broadcaster and university administrator. He studied economics in university, and then became a radio host on Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He was later hired by the University of Winnipeg as it’s first director of Indigenous inclusion.
“This is the most difficult thing that I have ever done in my life and the real work hasn’t begun yet," Kinew said. “I’m going to treat this job with the utmost reverence and a humility."
Kinew decided to run for the Manitoba New Democrats in 2016 and was elected to the legislature in the party stronghold of Fort Rouge in Winnipeg.
John Norquay was the first Indigenous person to serve as premier in Manitoba, in 1878. Norquay was Métis, which are people of mixed European and Indigenous ancestry.
While other Métis people in Manitoba have served in elected office, the province’s history with First Nations people holding elected office only goes back a few decades. It wasn’t until the 1950s and ’60s that First Nations people were allowed to vote without conditions in provincial and federal elections in Canada.
The office of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he spoke to Kinew and congratulated him on the historic win.
The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs said Kinew’s win was a huge accomplishment.
“It’s a new chapter for First Nations in this province,” Grand Chief Cathy Merrick said in a statement. “I look forward to collaborating with the premier to address the needs of our member Nations.”
