THUNDER BAY – A Northern Ontario NDP MPP wants to be a voice for the north in his expanded role at Queen's Park.
Sol Mamakwa, MPP for Kiiwetinoong, on Wednesday was named the party's deputy leader and critic for Indigenous and Treaty Relations, and Northern Development by interim NDP leader Peter Tabuns.
"I'll be able to bring people together," said Mamakwa. "I can be a bridge to people to listen, to come to a common ground. It's not about us against them. It's about people at the end of the day."
Mamakwa says Tabuns appointed two deputy leaders in order to speak to issues in their areas, one for the south and one for the north.
"I think that's something that we need to come together as northern Ontario and address these issues and have a common voice." Mamakwa says issues he'll raise that impact the north include health, mental health care, the cost of living, and the cost of fuel."
He also mentioned the ongoing search for missing Indigenous children as an area he will keep focusing on.
Lise Vaugeois, the NDP MPP for Thunder Bay-Superior North, was also given a critic's role, focusing on seniors and persons living with disabilities and accessibility.
Eric Shih reports on Northwestern Ontario news under the Local Journalism Initiative.
