Manitoba's new premier, Wab Kinew, is scheduled to be sworn in today and appoint his cabinet. Kinew walks to the premier's office in Winnipeg, Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Lipnowski
WINNIPEG – Manitoba’s new premier, Wab Kinew, has been sworn in.
He led the New Democrats to victory on Oct. 3 and defeated the Progressive Conservatives, who had been in power for seven years.
Kinew is the first First Nations premier of a Canadian province and he has also said his cabinet will include, for the first time in Manitoba, First Nations women.
The ceremony is being held at The Leaf, a botanical attraction in Winnipeg with an indoor waterfall.
It started off with an opening prayer by the chief of the Red Sucker Lake First Nation and the lighting of the Qulliq, a traditional oil lamp used by Inuit peoples.
That was followed by the Norman Chief Memorial Dancers performing the Red River Jig, a traditional Métis dance accompanied by a fiddle tune.
The NDP captured 34 of the 57 legislature seats on election night.
Some of those in attendance at Wednesday’s ceremony include Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham, Canadian actor Adam Beach and Grand Chief Jerry Daniels of the Southern Chiefs’ Organization, which represents 34 Anishnaabe and Dakota First Nations in southern Manitoba.
Kinew has many veteran politicians and rookies from which to pick his cabinet.
Among the high-profile New Democrats who were re-elected is Uzoma Asagwara, a former psychiatric nurse who was the NDP health critic in Opposition.
Adrien Sala, who served as NDP finance critic, is also serving a second term and has had a high profile in the legislature.
Some of the First Nations women in the NDP caucus are Nahanni Fontaine, the party’s house leader who is serving her third term, and Amanda Lathlin, who has been in the legislature since winning a byelection in 2015.
One New Democrat with previous cabinet experience is Ron Kostyshyn, who served as agriculture minister under former premier Greg Selinger before losing his seat in 2016. Kostyshyn is also one of the few New Democrats elected in western Manitoba.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 18, 2023.
