News

This summer, Ottawa was host to the Assembly of First Nations Annual General Assembly — and I was honoured to be in the room. I joined colleagues Minister Gull-Masty, Minister Anandasangaree, and Secretary of State Belanger at the AFN AGA ministerial panel to listen to First Nations leaders from coast to coast to coast. I […]

New leadership brings new energy — and new opportunity to build the relationships that make a real difference for communities. It was a privilege to sit down with Wasagamack First Nation’s newest Chief and Council while in Ottawa this summer — followed by a meeting with leaders from the broader Anisininew Okimawin Nations to discuss […]

I sat down with Chief Yellowback and Councillor Barry Okemow of Manto Sipi Cree Nation, alongside Wayne Shuttleworth, CEO of Anishinaabe Peacekeepers Inc., to talk about community-led solutions, strengthening local capacity, and supporting First Nation-led approaches to public safety. This conversation was important to me for a specific reason: too often, federal and provincial approaches […]

I travelled to Dauphin, Swan River, and the Municipality of Swan Valley West to stand with the communities facing the impact of devastating flooding — and to hear directly from the leaders carrying their communities through it. In Dauphin, I met with Mayor David Bosiak, City Manager Sharla Griffiths, and the Manitoba Incident Management Team […]

There is a particular kind of honesty that happens at a barbecue that does not happen anywhere else in this job. This summer, I hosted a free Community Barbecue at the Churchill Building parking lot in Thompson. No speeches. No formal agenda. Just food, conversation, and a chance for the people of this city to […]

If you want to understand the future of northern Manitoba, you have to understand the role University College of the North plays in shaping it. Following UCN’s convocation in Thompson, I sat down with UCN President Doug Lauvstad for a substantive conversation about how the institution can lead the next phase of development across the […]

One the question of Manitoba’s economic future, there is real alignment worth building on between the federal and provincial government. I recently met with Premier Wab Kinew to discuss Manitoba’s economic development priorities, with a particular focus on how the province and the federal government can work together to advance opportunities led by Manitobans, for […]

Every community in this country deserves to turn on a tap and trust what comes out of it. For too many First Nations, that basic trust has been denied for years — sometimes decades. I am pleased to share that the federal government has announced funding for a new water treatment plant for Long Plain […]

I was honoured to join the Sayisi Dene First Nation, Chief Kelly Ann Thom-Duck and council members, provincial ministers, at Manitoba Hydro headquarters in Winnipeg for the announcement of new $21.5 million federal funding supporting the renewable energy project by Dene communities, on behalf of the Honourable Tim Hodgson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources. […]

On the eve of National Indigenous Peoples Day, I attended a free Indigenous Reconciliation Gathering at 17 Wing Winnipeg-honouring First Nations, Métis, and Inuit service members and veterans.   Organised with the Southern Chiefs’ Organization, the Manitoba Métis Federation, and the local Inuit community, the gathering included an opening prayer, honest conversations on truth and […]