Bokhari guarantees 10 per cent of government seats to indigenous people

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This article was published 24/03/2016 (3822 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Liberal government would give Manitoba proportional representation in the 2020 provincial election — and indigenous people will be guaranteed 10 per cent of the seats.

“True partnership means our indigenous people have a seat at the table. Reconciliation means more than just words,” Bokhari declared Thursday on the steps of the legislature.

As with her previous election campaign announcements, Bokhari provided few details.

“The actual system, what the system looks like, will be done by consultation,” said Bokhari, who said she would listen to experts, whom she said included academics, stakeholders, and indigenous leaders. “I want to leave it to the experts,” she said.

Bokhari did say that she would not put proportional representation to a public referendum — she’ll decide on a new system based on her consultation.

Proportional representation is a system of government in which the number of seats a party holds is based on the percentage of the popular vote it receives.

Bokhari could not say how many seats the legislature could potentially have, but with the current 57, “It would be about six seats” guaranteed for indigenous people, she said.

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Those six would be over and above any indigenous candidates elected through proportional representation.

However, Bokhari could not say whether the indigenous candidates guaranteed 10 per cent of the seats would have to declare a partisan affiliation, nor could she say how they would be chosen.

Asked if she would guarantee seats for women, Bokhari said, “You know what, this is about our indigenous population.

“As a woman, do I want gender parity? Absolutely,” said Bokhari, who said she recognizes how hard it is for women to get elected.

nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca

Nick Martin

Former Free Press reporter Nick Martin, who wrote the monthly suspense column in the books section and was prolific in his standalone reviews of mystery/thriller novels, died Oct. 15 at age 77 while on holiday in Edinburgh, Scotland.