Valerie G. Barnes Connell Jordan
Northern Advocate
Leroy Laliberte won the Athabasca constituency back for the NDP with 1,790 votes at the close of the Oct. 30 second count, including the first mail in ballots in the Oct. 28 Saskatchewan provincial election.
Laliberte defeated incumbent Saskatchewan Party MLA Jim Lemaigre, who represented the constituency after winning a by-election in 2022. Lemaigre finished in second with 1,005 votes, while the Green Party’s Raven Reid finished third with 44.
“I’m really thankful and I feel deeply honoured and privileged to be able to know that the people of Athabasca are trusting me in this and giving me the opportunity to represent them,” Laliberte said.
Laliberte spent 20 years in community development, in youth outreach. He’s also been involved with other projects and programs not only in Saskatchewan and across the country. He’s created personal development and youth development programs and sat on advisory councils.
There’s one I sit on right now. It’s through the College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan. And, he’s been active in the Friendship Centre with youth programming.
“I’ve had a lot of opportunity to work with some amazing people all over the place and, you know, I feel very blessed to have been able to do that type of work. It’s rewarding,” he said.
He has been in the background of politics, with family members in politics, one was a member of Parliament.
“I grew up watching these guys in action. I thought, one day, … I want to represent my people and be able to speak on their behalf and advocate for them,” he said.
Laliberte grew up in Beauval, a Métis community, but recently received his status to Flying Dust First Nation.
“That’s where I was working up until I ran in the election,” he said. “I was working as their Community Wellness Manager. I over saw the programming for their Addiction Mental Health Prevention, things like that.
“It was a huge job, but I tell you, I loved it.”
Laliberte worked with people in the communities of Ile a la Crosse, Buffalo Narrows, Beauval, Flying Dust and Green Lake, where he has family ties.
The Athabasca constituency covers some of the area, and more. From Green Lake it’s all the north west to Buffalo Narrows, Ile a la Crosse, and up to La Loche and includes the northern communities of Black Lake, Uranium City, Fond du Lac and Stony Rapids.
Much of his campaigning was done on the phone, but there were lots of conversations.
Many of the concerns included lack of services, healthcare, education and talk about roads.
“There was a lot of talk about education … the roads, the services people can receive in the south. There’s just a lot of services that they should have in the north.”
Laliberte said many voters cited lack of services for Elders as a concern. For example, for dialysis.
“Can you imagine being a person from La Loche and having to receive dialysis treatment in Saskatoon three times a week,” he said.
Also elders are often moved south to receive care which could leave them living in Nipawin, Shellbrook, Big River, or Saskatoon.
Laliberte said residential schools, particularly Ile a la Cross and Timber Bay, was also a common topic during the campaign, as was wildfire management.
With the election behind them, Laliberte said the NDP caucus is communicating with each other to see what’s next.
