Indigenous leader fires broadside at ‘very ineffectual’ northern Manitoba MP Ashton

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This article was published 02/09/2021 (1466 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A prominent Manitoba Indigenous leader is castigating the NDP’s northern MP, arguing Niki Ashton doesn’t deserve to be re-elected later this month.

“Niki has been very ineffectual; I don’t think Niki has actually enhanced our advocacy and our region,” said Grand Chief Arlen Dumas of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs.

“It’s been a time of spinning wheels and not making any progress, or anything substantial. That’s happened for far too long, and we need a fresh perspective and a refresh in that seat up there.”

Ashton has said the NDP is the best choice to advocate for the Churchill-Keewatinook Aski riding, which she’s held since 2008.

Dumas said Ashton fell out of his favour during efforts to transfer ownership of the railway that serves as Churchill’s lifeline. He supported her for years, but felt betrayed when she took the position that the Hudson Bay Railway be nationalized, instead of transferred to Indigenous owners.

In late 2016, months before a catastrophic washout on the line, the Missinippi ownership group tried to take over the rail line and Port of Churchill from Denver-based Omnitrax.

Dumas claimed Ashton said she would write a letter of support for the local effort, but then publicly called for the assets to instead be nationalized.

She has not commented publicly on his version of events.

The grand chief attempted to clarify his remarks after a campaign event last week at The Forks for federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, but may have muddied the waters further.

At the event, Dumas and northern Grand Chief Garrison Settee both voiced their support for Liberal candidate Shirley Robinson — but then said they were supportive of First Nations candidates, in general.

And despite favouring Robinson’s candidacy, Dumas was critical of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government.

“We need a government that is willing to listen; a government that is not going to impose half-measure or half-steps,” he said at the Aug. 26 event.

The AMC speaks on behalf of all chiefs in the province and Settee leads Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, which represents the northern reserves. Both are non-partisan organizations, though AMC endorsed the NDP in the 2019 provincial election.

At MKO’s annual assembly last month, northern chiefs threw their support behind Robinson, but Settee said that they can support multiple candidates from different parties, and will always show support for First Nations.

“We will support our Indigenous people, whoever they are,” he said at the Singh event.

While the AMC has not indicated whether it will advise First Nations members on who to support Sept. 20, Dumas said he personally is pushing for Robinson.

Ashton was unavailable to comment Thursday.

“I am proud to fight for First Nations left behind by this government,” a statement attributed to her said.

In recent years, Ashton has made weekly statements in the House and during new conferences about issues impacting northern Manitoba reserves, from housing crises to unfulfilled Liberal pledges to build health centres in her riding.

Yet Dumas said Ashton hasn’t been as effective as former NDP MP Roméo Saganash, who is Cree and managed to get a bill passed implementing a United Nations decree on Indigenous rights.

“If Romeo could do it, why couldn’t Niki?” said Dumas.

He argued Ashton leveraged Indigenous constituents in her 2017 race for the federal NDP leadership — she finished third behind Singh and Charlie Angus — without having done enough for them.

“There’s a different between rhetoric and self-promotion and actual tangible results,” Dumas said.

Ashton insists she’s made progress in getting the Trudeau government and that of former prime minister Stephen Harper t o do more on COVID-19 military support, clean drinking water and economic development.

“By working together with Indigenous peoples and communities, we have been able to get results,” she wrote.

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“After more than 150 years, it had been clear that the Liberals and Conservatives are not only not part of the solution — their policies and neglect are the problem.”

Meanwhile, Dumas said Indigenous politicians should put their interests first, regardless of which party they represent.

He noted former MLA Elijah Harper’s key role in bringing down the Meech Lake Accord in 1990. The agreement was aimed at recognizing the special role of Quebec in the Constitution, but not Indigenous people, and so Harper filibustered a vote so it could not pass, despite its support from his NDP colleagues.

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca