First Nations University of Canada. (File photo/paNOW Staff)

By Jeff D’Andrea

Racism and other important topics discussed at First Nations University’s elections panel

Sep 15, 2021 | 5:21 PM

Cheryl Murphy is a student at the Prince Albert campus of the First Nations University of Canada, and shared her experiences of racism and other hardships during the school’s federal election panel.

Murphy talked about how her daughter was in a job interview, and the interviewer assumed Murphy’s daughter was on social assistance due to the colour of her skin.

“As a mother, it really took me back to think ‘wow, the city we’ve lived in for how many years, the city you’ve worked in, babysat all these children and worked in all these little part-time jobs, and she couldn’t even get a job in a hotel,’” Murphy said. “There is so much racism in Saskatchewan, and especially in Prince Albert. I witness it.”

Murphy then offered the panel of five of the candidates up for election in the Prince Albert riding to discuss their thoughts on not only racism, but how those experiencing it and other many other hardships can access help.

Randy Hoback — Incumbent Member of Parliament, Conservative Party

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“One thing I do stress in my office is the level of service, and service is important. Everybody thinks the MP’s job is in Ottawa, but it’s not. Actually, a good chunk of the job is here in the riding helping people day-to-day with the issues that you’re facing. Some are provincial, and some are federal… But what I get tired of hearing from the government side of things, not saying the Liberals or anything else, just the bureaucracy more than anything, is when they get a complaint or a situation where someone needs help and they say, ‘thank God that’s not my problem. Go talk to someone else.’ They lost the reason why they are there. You’re not there to eliminate help, you’re there for the person and say, ‘what can we do to assist the person?’

Estelle Hjertaas— Liberal Party of Canada candidate

“My little sister from Big Brothers and Big Sisters recently turned 18 and her parents were like, ‘well, you’re on your own.’ And I had to make a bunch of phone calls on my vacation to try and find a place for her to live, and got her into the Y [YWCA Prince Albert]. But she just turned 18, she didn’t fit into any of the categories, and it was really hard to get that. I agree that there are so many challenges… Ultimately in that situation, what happened is one of the managers at the Y said ‘this is not okay that an 18-year-old doesn’t have a place to live, and I’ll solve that problem for you.’ And she did, even though that it wasn’t her job. And the core of the question was about systemic racism and that is something that I have spoken out about publicly, especially on the back alley curfew. I see all the time at work [as a legal aid lawyer] how systemic racism happens in policing and in communities, and who people call the police on. I’ve had clients arrested in their own backyard because the police assumed they were breaking in, even though they were just standing in their own backyard. I know that that happens, and that’s something I’m willing to take a stand on publicly. I think more people need to do that and we need to recognize it.”

Heather Schmitt— Maverick Party candidate

“Racism is just an ongoing issue wherever we go. It’s a battle, especially in Prince Albert. That’s a fairly well-known place where there’s a lot of gang activity happening so if you have darker coloured skin, people are classifying you and that’s not right — no matter where we are in the world. And I absolutely agree with you, we need to stop that stigma.

Joseph McCrea— People’s Party of Canada candidate

“When it comes to racism issues, it’s definitely a big problem here in this riding, and around Canada, and around the world. From my perspective, it doesn’t matter what colour you are, let’s love each other. Let’s accept each other. Yes, we may have some differences, but we need to unite as a community, as a country, not divide. We’re having so many divisions right now going on because of the lockdowns, because of COVID. We’ve got the unvaccinated against the vaccinated causing huge splits in families and everywhere we go. It’s time to stop this. I’ve had family members that are saying they’re divided from me because of some situations and where I stand on them. It has to stop. We have to come together and build a better future for our kids.

Ken MacDougall— New Democratic Party candidate

“This is a question about how many times do we have to sit back and listen to somebody make an obviously racist remark or invoke a racist policy in this province and not say a word? I taught in La Loche for a year teaching. Women were having to go to the hospital for a regular basis and most of my [students] were single-mother parents. The women’s shelter in La Loche was continuously shutdown, no reserves, people were quitting because they couldn’t stand the stress. Wollaston, they’re making an attempt to take the fish plant out of there. And I’ve had the product and it is absolutely delicious, and yet now because of the fact that $3 million is needed to complete a 24-7 seven, 365 [business] thrown into the place, they are looking at dangerously having to close down a business. Help a community rise from the ashes and insert itself into the economy of this province.”

Also running for election in Prince Albert is Hamish Graham of the Green Party, but he did not participate in the panel. The Federal Election is on Sept. 20.

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Jeff.dandrea@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW