Valerie G. Barnes Connell Jordan

Defender of the North

Leroy Laliberté won back the Athabasca riding for the NDP with 1,790 votes at the close of the second count on October 30, including the first mail-in ballot in the October 28 provincial election in Saskatchewan.

Laliberte defeated incumbent Saskatchewan Party MP Jim Lemaigre, who represented the riding after winning a 2022 by-election. Lemaigre finished second with 1,005 votes, while Raven Reid of the Green Party finished third with 44.

“I am truly grateful and feel deeply honored and privileged to be able to know that the people of Athabasca trust me and give me the opportunity to represent them,” said Laliberte.

Laliberté spent 20 years in community development, working with young people. He has also been involved in other projects and programs, not only in Saskatchewan but across the country. He created personal development and youth development programs and served on advisory boards.

There’s one I’m sitting on right now. It’s through the University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine. And he was active in the Friendship Center with youth programs.

“I’ve had a lot of opportunities to work with amazing people everywhere and, you know, I feel very lucky to have been able to do this type of work. It’s rewarding,” he said.

He worked in politics, with members of his family in politics, one of them being an MP.
“I grew up watching these guys in action. I thought that one day… I want to represent my people and be able to speak on their behalf and defend their interests,” he said.

Laliberte grew up in Beauval, a Métis community, but recently obtained Flying Dust First Nation status.

“That’s where I worked until I ran for office,” he said. “I worked as a community welfare officer. I’ve seen mental health drug prevention programs, things like that.

“It was a lot of work, but I tell you, I loved it.”

Laliberte has worked with people in the communities of Île à la Crosse, Buffalo Narrows, Beauval, Flying Dust and Green Lake, where he has family ties.

The riding of Athabasca covers part of the region, and then some. From Green Lake, it’s all the northwest to Buffalo Narrows, Île à 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 campaign was conducted over the phone, but there were plenty of conversations.

Many of the concerns were about lack of services, health care, education and lack of roads.

“We talked a lot about education… about roads, about services that people can receive in the south. There are simply a lot of services they should have in the North.

Laliberte said many voters cited the lack of services for seniors 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.

Additionally, seniors are often moved south for care, which could force them to live in Nipawin, Shellbrook, Big River or Saskatoon.

Laliberté said residential schools, particularly Ile à la Cross and Timber Bay, were also a common topic during the campaign, as was wildfire management.

With the election behind them, Laliberté said members of the NDP caucus are communicating with each other to see what happens next.

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