FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron speaks to open a candidates forum for the Saskatoon mayoral race. photo by Joel Willick
Indigenous issues took centre stage during the Saskatoon municipal election on Wednesday night.
For two full hours a room full of concerned voters grilled the 4 mayoral candidates on several topics important to the city’s Indigenous population.
Don Atchison, Charlie Clark, Kelly Moore and Devin Hein all fielded questions from the audience.
The forum was hosted by the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations.
“It’s an important election,” says FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron. “Our Indigenous people in this city are going to vote. We made a big difference in the federal election and we are going to make a big difference right here in the City of Saskatoon.”
During opening statements the majority of the candidates spoke on the relationships they have already formed with First Nation leaders and organizations within the city.
Incumbent mayor Don Atchison says he will continue to build on these relationships he has already developed as mayor.
“Is there more to do? Absolutely,” says Atchison. “It never stops and the challenges are before us, but we are up to it.”
For Charlie Clark, he feels there needs to be more of an emphasis on relationship building.
“The mayor can set the tone, the mayor can sit down and build those relationships and the mayor can make sure that in everything we do… we are walking together hand in hand to make sure we are making investments to help our young people succeed,” says Clark.
Kelly Moore says if she is elected she will make sure to include Indigenous voices in any decisions.
“There is a lot of work we need to do in our community to bridge people together and how I believe that can be done is not by being a top decision maker, but by sharing decision making,” says Moore.
Devin Hein says as mayor he would work to help foster freedom for Saskatoon’s First Nations community.
“I think it’s important to allow people to determine their own destinies,” says Hein. “We need to foster freedom and make sure we don’t interfere in a community’s growth and the right to make a future for themselves.”
The questions throughout the night included topics on education, housing, employment, bullying, justice, policing and youth suicides.
The first question was from FSIN youth representative Andre Bear who asked what the candidates would do to improve social inequities for First Nations youth if elected.
“Our First Nations youth are in crisis in this very moment,” says Bear referring to a string of youth suicides in northern Saskatchewan over the past week.
Atchison says investments in education, housing and employment will help alleviate the burden on the city’s youth. Moore says providing hope and opportunity to Indigenous youth is one of the greatest needs for the community. According to Hein a high tax rate in Saskatoon has led to a higher homeless rate negatively affecting the Indigenous youth. Clark says hope is needed as well and can be found in the city citing how Oskayak High School saw a graduation class rise from 3 to 60.
Another question came from FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron who asked the candidates if they would fight with the FSIN and SIGA against the gaming framework agreement which requires them to give 25% of SIGA revenues back to the province. Chief Cameron says they can then reinvest that money back into the community and First Nation initiatives.
All of the candidates were non-committal on whether they would fight against the agreement, however, all of them promised to discuss the issue with the FSIN if elected.
According to stats from FSIN Chief Cameron 30,000 First Nation people live in the City of Saskatoon re-iterating why he feels it is important Indigenous voters get out for the election.
The Saskatoon municipal election is scheduled for Wednesday October 26th.