By Canadian Press

Q&A with Lac Seul First Nation Chief Clifford Bull, candidate in northern riding

May 3, 2018 | 1:30 PM

FRENCHMAN’S HEAD, Ont. — Kiiwetinoong is one of two new northern Ontario ridings and the only one in the province with an Indigenous majority. It is home to about 32,000 people in four municipalities  and more than three dozen remote Indigenous communities, many only fly-in. Chief Clifford Bull, of the Lac Seul First Nation, is a neophyte provincial politician running in the June 7 election.

Why are you running?

I intend to support Indigenous rights. We’ve learned from broken treaties. I wanted to have the Indigenous voice heard at Queen’s Park where decisions are made. That’s been lacking for too long. We need to change that. We need to have a voice from the North, not only for Indigenous people but also for mainstream Canadians who live here. There’s a lot of industry here, a lot of wealth, in terms of minerals and resources. We need to ensure we get our share of those benefits and opportunities — and not all the wealth goes south.

How did you come to run for the Progressive Conservatives?

I was recruited by one of the party’s members. What if the Liberals showed up first? I’d probably be a Liberal. Somebody showed up and said, “We want you on our team.” I thought about it for quite a bit. I wanted to expand my horizon and see if I can help in a bigger perspective, in a bigger area, and have a bigger family to help.

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If you win, how do you think you will like living in Toronto?

I love to live near water. I just step in a boat and go catch my breakfast — a couple of walleyes — and fry a couple eggs. I don’t know if I can do that in Toronto. It’s almost like culture shock. It’s all cement and there’s no ground to walk on. I still like the outdoor life. I still maintain my culture. I’m going to miss fishing, for sure, the tranquility of sitting ice fishing and the peace and quiet. I’ll manage.

What do you see as the pressing issues?

We have mental health issues, we have opioid addiction, we have poverty, we have child-care issues and we have incarceration in our communities that is very large. There has to be a better way of meting out justice. We have a lot of Indigenous youth that want to work. But I’ve always got to be mindful of the municipalities themselves. We need money to rebuild some of our roads and bridges. We need long-term care beds.

How do you expect the campaign to play out in this riding?

Kiiwetinoong is going to have the friendliest campaign in all of Ontario. You need to build relationships. First Nations tend to be more respectful of other people. They want to share. (But) relationships in the past have not always been very beneficial for both sides. There’s been tension, animosity. I guess a lot of it has to do with not knowing each other.

— The conversation has been edited and condensed

Colin Perkel, The Canadian Press