Jagmeet Singh, leader of the NDP, criticized the Saskatchewan First Act (SFA) and Premier Scott Moe’s Sask Party government during his visit to North Battleford on Wednesday.. Jagmeet Singh .“Here in Saskatchewan, I know that you’re up against a tough government that’s not recognizing and respecting indigenous rights,” said Singh at the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) All-Chiefs Assembly..“The Saskatchewan First Act is legislation that ignores the rights of indigenous people. And I want you to know I think that’s wrong.”.Moe responded to Singh’s accusations against the Sask Party and the SFA in a tweet, including a dig that the Trudeau government owns Singh..“The Saskatchewan First Act asserts our province’s constitutional autonomy over our own natural resources,” tweeted Moe..“Saskatchewan is not a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Trudeau government. Unlike Jagmeet Singh.”. Scott Moe Tweet Singh .Singh also discussed Trudeau’s government’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2035 and acknowledged the resistance from Moe regarding the goal..“I don’t think the cost should fall on people,” said Singh..“People are already feeling squeezed, the cost of everything has already gone up, so I don’t want to see any additional pressure put on families.”.Singh emphasized the importance of reducing emissions and highlighted it requires collaboration instead of conflict between federal and provincial governments..“There are paths we’ve got to build that together, not by fighting each other,” said Singh..Singh spoke to the assembly and visited Wahpeton Dakota Nation School. He emphasized working together can accomplish tasks, create positive initiatives, and benefit everyone involved..Singh stated the importance of economic inclusion and emphasized that development taking place on First Nations land should directly benefit indigenous communities..Singh stressed the need to uphold treaty rights, which involves promoting shared prosperity. He also mentioned while Canada is one of the wealthiest nations, the approach to economic development requires a change..“For too long, the approach around economic development has put billions of dollars into billionaires’ pockets, but we don’t focus enough on the benefits to local communities,” said Singh..Singh also addressed key topics such as indigenous languages, housing, healthcare, and climate change. These were the important issues he discussed during his speech..“I think it’s also important to acknowledge indigenous communities have the solutions,” said Singh..“A lot of times those solutions are just not listened to, they’re not supported, they’re not given the power to implement those changes.”.Singh discussed the ongoing Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) crisis and is working on a “Red Dress Alert” for when someone goes missing..“We also need to implement all the calls for justice,” said Singh..He said the federal government must have a MMIWG public inquiry to keep people safe..During the assembly, Singh responded to questions from members, including one concerning the Natural Resources Transfer Agreement..“I absolutely support the idea that any development that happens on indigenous land should happen in a partnership with indigenous people. It should not be forced on indigenous people, nor should it happen without any benefit going to indigenous people,” said Singh..Singh discussed the issue of systemic racism and the ongoing trauma faced by indigenous people. .He emphasized the importance of a “housing first” approach, explaining secure housing serves as the foundation for addressing other challenges, such as addiction and employment..“A lot of research says housing first is the way,” said Singh. .“So get people housed first, and then we can work on all the other things, addiction, mental health, education, training, maybe employment.”
