Latest news with #Belanger
CTV News
14-05-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Belanger appointed to cabinet
Belanger appointed to cabinet WATCH: Buckley Belanger, Saskatchewan's sole Liberal representative, has been appointed to cabinet.
Global News
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Global News
Saskatchewan Liberal MP appointed Secretary of State for Rural Development
Saskatchewan's only Liberal Member of Parliament is taking on a new role in Prime Minister Mark Carney's government. Buckley Belanger, who represents Desnethé–Missinippi–Churchill River, has been sworn in as Secretary of State for Rural Development. He is one of 10 secretaries of state appointed by Carney. 'Belanger is going to have to wear a number of different caps here,' said Daniel Westlake, assistant professor of political studies at the University of Saskatchewan. 'He's the Liberal MP from Saskatchewan, he's the rural Liberal MP for Western Canada and he's an Indigenous MP, so he's got a lot of groups that he's going to have to represent,' Westlake added. The secretaries serve as members of the Privy Council and are responsible for important matters within their respective federal departments. Story continues below advertisement Although secretaries of state do not attend every cabinet meeting, they participate in discussions when topics related to their portfolios are being addressed. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'It'll really depend on how much Carney wants to invite people in these secretary of state positions to cabinet discussions,' said Westlake. Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations Chief Bobby Cameron called the appointment a positive step, saying it offers Indigenous leaders a direct point of contact in Ottawa. 'We have a direct link with him now,' Cameron said. 'We can just phone him and say, 'Buckley, here's what we're doing at the FSIN, here's our main concerns, but more importantly, here's our direction.' Cameron adds that he hopes Belanger's Métis background will bring indigenous priorities to the forefront in Ottawa. 'The housing conditions, the policing issues we face, the health crisis, the impacts where social issues do devastating damage to our First Nations,' said Cameron. 'So in that sense, he can be a good voice and an advocate in the House of Commons.' Belanger previously served two terms as the NDP MLA for Athabasca before switching to federal politics as a Liberal. In a statement, Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck congratulated her former colleague and emphasized the need for Ottawa to stay focused on Saskatchewan's priorities. Story continues below advertisement 'There's a renewed consensus right now for nation-building projects — rail lines, pipelines, power lines and highways,' Beck wrote. 'We cannot let this consensus go to waste.' Belanger's appointment comes as three Indigenous ministers join Carney's federal cabinet, something Westlake says is a start of a broader effort to increase representation at the decision-making table. 'At the same time, it'll be interesting to see what happens when indigenous issues end up creating challenges or perhaps tensions with some of the other government's priorities,' Westlake added.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Sask. MP Buckley Belanger to serve as a secretary of state for Carney government
Saskatchewan's northernmost and lone Liberal MP will serve as a secretary of state for Prime Minister Mark Carney's government. It was announced Tuesday morning that Buckley Belanger, Liberal MP for Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River, will serve as the Secretary of State for Rural Development. Belanger is one 10 secretaries of state appointed by Carney. The secretaries are members of the Privy Council and will be responsible for 'key issues' within a federal department. They will be part of cabinet meetings only when decisions pertaining to their focus arise. Belanger was born in Île-à-la-Crosse and lost Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River in the 2021 federal election to Conservative Gary Vidal. Before that, he served two terms as the MLA for Athabasca under the Saskatchewan NDP. Speaking in Saskatoon on the night of the May 28 federal election, Belanger dedicated his victory 'to all the folks that are progressive voters throughout this province.' 'I dedicate this win to all the people throughout Saskatchewan who chose not to vote Conservative. Change is on its way, and we hope that you don't lose faith as we continue to live to fight another day,' he said. He also served three terms as mayor of his hometown. More to come… – with files from the National Post Live updates: Meet Mark Carney's new cabinet as it's unveiled today Buckley Belanger looks to be 'formidable force' as lone Liberal MP from Saskatchewan alsalloum@
CBC
30-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Buckley Belanger sole Sask. Liberal in sea of blue
In a breakthrough for the federal Liberals in a province dominated by Conservatives, Buckley Belanger is projected to win the Saskatchewan riding of Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River. CBC is projecting a Liberal government, but Saskatchewan has stayed blue: the Conservatives are expected to win 13 of the province's 14 ridings. Belanger cruised to victory with over 65 per cent share of the votes, after having lost to a Conservative in 2021. Belanger said the atmosphere was electric at his campaign headquarters in La Ronge on Monday night as supporters gathered to mark the victory. He described the moment as "exciting and enormous." "The people of northern Saskatchewan, they want a voice in Ottawa and we're going to give them that voice," Belanger said. Rebecca Sylvestre, a resident of Turnor Lake, Sask., said in a text statement that she is thrilled Belanger will represent northern communities. "As a true Northerner who lives, knows, and loves the North, he understands our challenges. We're confident that his dedication and leadership will drive positive change for our communities." Belanger, who is Métis, began representing the North in the provincial legislature for the Liberal Party in 1995. Three years later, he left the party to join the provincial NDP, maintaining his seat until 2021. Belanger said his federal campaign resonated because voters were tired of the persistent challenges facing the North, from poor housing and infrastructure deficits to the rise of illicit drugs. He said the people in the region want a government that will work alongside them. "This whole effort on the northern Saskatchewan people's part is all about economic and social justice," he said. Belanger said his first priority will be to tell the stories of northern Saskatchewan communities in Ottawa and to push for a collective plan. He hopes to convene a series of summits bringing together leaders, artists, land stewards and language keepers to shape a shared vision for the North's future. "We have such enormous wealth on that land and yet we have local challenges," Belanger said, emphasizing that solutions must come from within the region itself. Belanger also voiced strong support for Prime Minister Mark Carney, calling him a "fantastically intelligent man" with a deep understanding of national and international economies. He said Canadians will be impressed with Carney's leadership as the Liberals move toward what Belanger called a "reconciled and independent Canada."
Hamilton Spectator
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Belanger lone Liberal elected in Saskatchewan
Buckley Belanger will be representing the Liberal Party in the House of Commons after a resounding victory in the Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River riding on Monday night. Belanger, a longtime NDP MLA for the Cumberland riding, defeated Conservative candidate and former Saskatchewan Party MLA Jim Lemaigre, and NDP candidate Doug Racine. Belanger will be the lone Saskatchewan Liberal Member of Parliament with the rest of the province electing Conservatives. Belanger said in an interview with the Herald on Tuesday that the new boundary better reflected the voting intentions of the riding. He said the old riding, which included Meadow Lake where former Conservative MP Gary Vidal resided made voting awkward for Northern people to participate. 'In the last several elections the northern part of the province has always voted Liberal or New Democrat,' Belanger said. 'Sometimes it is simply outvoted from the southern partners. Now that the boundaries have been realigned and properly reflect our region, it just shows that the riding was never conservative.' With 86 of 88 polls reporting, Belanger received 5,680 votes for 65.2 per cent of the vote, Lemaigre received 2,226 votes for 25.6 per cent of the vote and Racine was third with 802 votes for 9.2 per cent of the vote. Belanger credited his ground team for the resounding victory. 'All I know is that we had a great team,' he said. 'When we run in these elections, there's two things we don't do. We don't underestimate the opposition and we don't take things for granted. It's clear that when you work hard in the campaign, people see that, the Northern people expect it. You have got to do what is required to win and this time it certainly paid off.' Going to Ottawa as a first-time Member of Parliament, Belanger said that he wants to act as an advocate and a navigator of the bureaucracy in Ottawa. 'We have just got to find our place and scheme of things and move the northern agenda from there. Obviously it's great to have a Liberal MP with a Liberal government in power and we are just going to make sure that we represent our people as best we can and put all our arguments forward,' Belanger said. He explained that he wants to bring a new voice to Ottawa after eight years with only Conservative MPs. 'I think I'm going to bring a certain perspective to Saskatchewan that is much required,' he said. 'The last eight years, we've only heard from Conservative MP's and that's unfortunate because they obviously have their agenda. They have their political lines and they all speak the same language.' Belanger said that eight years of the same message have confused people and he can bring a different perspective. Belanger said that the Liberals and progressive voters saw a huge surge in support in places like Saskatoon. 'All I would say to those folks is that it's going to get a lot better because we know that there's a lot of good, solid supports coming out of Ottawa to Saskatchewan, but we never hear about it because there's different ways that that the province responds to these announcements,' he said. He gave the example of $10 a day Daycare and other Liberal initiatives from the past four years. 'Some of these little tricks and the continual dialogue from 14 conservative MP's, you could see that it does create a bit of a one view perspective and we want to bring as many views to the table as we can,' Belanger said. As of press time, the Liberals and Prime Minister Mark Carney have 169 seats, the Conservatives have 142 seats, the Bloc Quebecois have 22 seats, the NDP have seven seats and the Green Party have one seat with leader Elizabeth May winning her seat in Saanich—Gulf Islands. The Liberals received 8,538,720 votes or 43.7 per cent of the vote, the Conservatives received 8,062,115 votes or 41.3 per cent of the vote, the Bloc received 1,232,291 votes or 6.3 per cent of the vote, the NDP received 1,231,623 or 6.3 per cent of the vote and the Green Party received 243,804 votes or 1.3 per cent of the vote. With only seven seats the NDP lost official party status and leader Jagmeet Singh resigned after losing his own seat of Burnaby South, BC. Conservative leader Pierre Pollievre also lost his riding of Carleton to Liberal Bruce Fanjoy. Belanger said the next four years will be a daunting task. 'The northern people have simply asked me to do four things and that is to work very hard, which we intend to do,' he said. 'I'll be very aggressive in our strategy…. They told us you make sure you keep humble as well, which of course I have always done in all of my political career, and of course the third or fourth thing is don't forget who got you there. These kinds of messages were continually in different ways, continually pushed upon me and absolutely those are solid orders and we will follow through.'
