Cody Demerais, a 27-year-old Prince Albert entrepreneur is running for president of the Saskatchewan Metis-Nation Youth Council. (Dawson Thompson/paNOW Staff)

By Dawson Thompson

Election

Local entrepreneur running for president of the Saskatchewan Metis-Nation Youth Council

Oct 18, 2021 | 5:00 PM

Members of the Metis-Nation of Saskatchewan will be able to vote for a new youth council president on Nov. 5.

Local Metis entrepreneur, 27-year-old Cody Demerais will be running for the first time.

“As Métis citizens, we no longer have to be Canada’s forgotten people. We are immersed in every fabric of society,” Demerais said in a press release. “The sooner we show our strengths, work ethic, and determination, the sooner we will thrive as a Nation. Our first step in this process must be building the confidence, well-being, and sufficiency of Métis youth — so that they can become effective leaders of tomorrow. I am prepared to help facilitate that outcome.”

In 2020, Cody opened up his own clothing store called ‘Limitless Gear’. While running his store he is also a motivational speaker and author.

“Many of our youth today have troubles with addictions, mental health, and a lot of other unfortunate situations,” Demerais said. “A lot of them are looking for a sense of belonging, a sense of purpose, and a sense of a drive in a healthy environment.”

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He said during the campaign he will focus on three things in particular; addictions, mental health, and confidence.

“Those will be the main three factors that I truly want to work on building workshops around and bring in specialty people for those specific situations,” Demerais said.

As a candidate, Cody has reached out to hundreds of Métis youth to understand their interests, concerns, and vision for the future of the Métis Nation. As youth president, Cody will work collaboratively with youth, government, industry, and the non-profit sector to build better opportunities for Métis Youth in Saskatchewan.

“For me personally, this will make me want to make an impact in this world for the better,” Demerais said. “This would allow me to continue to go to different communities and offer my workshops and presentations and bring in other speakers. Different communities are struggling with addictions, mental health, and confidence issues.

“Once you believe you have the ability and capacity to do great things, that is when life becomes limitless,” Demerais said. “That is what I want to teach our youth of tomorrow.”

Voters have to be between the ages of 16 and 29. Voting is online at www.mnselection.ca.

For more information, he can be reached at codydemz@hotmail.com.

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Dawson.thompson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @dawsonthompson8