Sep 13, 2023
The issue of “Pretendianism” or having false claims of being Indigenous is rearing its head in the Manitoba election campaign.
This was after a minister in Premier Heather Stefanson’s cabinet was called out for claiming to be Métis without providing any proof that he was.
Eventually, the Manitoba Métis Federation which represents Red River Métis in the region, said Kevin Klein’s claims were false.
APTN News asked the provincial Conservative party about how it verifies Indigenous identity, the response was brief.
“The PC Party does not police anyone’s identity,” the statement said.
The Conservatives said they have four candidates who claim Indigeneity running in the election – same with the Liberals.
And like the Conservatives, the Liberals don’t verify information about a candidate’s identity – but the party does ask the candidate to sign off on a 20-page information sheet prior to applying to run.
Read More: https://www.aptnnews.ca/featured/manitoba-election-candidates-indigeneity-2023/