A look at the candidates in Abitibi-Baie James-Nunavik-Eeyou

The riding of Abitibi-Baie James-Nunavik-Eeyou in Quebec encompasses several nations and Indigenous communities. It is currently held by the Bloc Quebecois. But a Cree grand chief is hoping to turn the riding Liberal red. “I worked closely with both levels of government, provincial, federal, and during the time that I was doing this job in my riding, I didn’t have a lot of connection with the person that’s elected, representing a huge territory, almost half of Quebec,” Mandy Gull-Masty. “I was not satisfied.” Gull-Masty said she wants to create a vision for the region that is based off the strengths of each unique group. But she’ll be in tough against incumbent Bloc Quebecois Sylvie Bérubé who has held the riding for two terms. “Since 2019, I have represented Indigenous people,” she said in French during an interview with APTN’s Nouvelles Nationale. “When you’re elected, you’re in Ottawa for several months and then you leave Ottawa on the weekend it all comes back to the riding. “And I don’t always have the opportunity to go to Nunavik and the Cree communities.” She said she wants to change that. Thai Dillon Higasgihara is running for the NDP which held the riding while Romeo Saganash was in politics. “The NDP has a strong track record in making sure that indigenous voices are represented and structural change is enacted,” he said. “And so I wanted to do the same for, you know, the, the, the various other communities that don’t have sort of a seat at the table.” The riding is massive. While including more than half of the entire province of Quebec – the population here is only about 44,000 according to the 2021 census with nearly 40 per cent being Indigenous. Romeo Saganash held the riding for the NDP from 2011-2019. Continue Reading