Kateri Champagne Jourdain Indigenous woman MNA Quebec National Assembly
News, Politics

Kateri Champagne Jourdain is Quebec’s first Indigenous woman MNA

by Lorraine Carpenter

“We made history in Quebec. I am very proud. I carry the Innu culture within me, and I am bringing it with me to Quebec City.”

Among the 90 seats won by the CAQ in the Quebec election yesterday was the Quebec North Shore riding of Duplessis, whose representative Kateri Champagne Jourdain will also be the first Indigenous woman (and first Innu MNA) at the National Assembly. The only other Indigenous Quebecer to hold office was Parti Québécois MNA Alexis Wawanoloath, from 2007 to 2008.

Champagne Jourdain won the riding, which has been represented by the PQ for 40 years, with 45% of the vote, getting over 3,300 more votes than her PQ rival Marilou Vanier. The Québec Solidaire candidate in Duplessis, Uapukun Mestokosho, was also an Innu woman.

Champagne Jourdain hails from Uashat Mak Mani-Utenam, a community close to Sept-Îles. During last night’s victory speech, she said her Innu culture will assist future work with Indigenous communities, including the development of “major projects.”

“Here in Duplessis, we made history in the riding, but we also made history in Quebec. I am very proud.

“I carry the Innu culture within me, and I am bringing it with me to Quebec City.”

—Kateri Champagne Jourdain

Kateri Champagne Jourdain is Quebec’s first Indigenous woman MNA

For more on the provincial election results, please visit Élections Québec.

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Posted in News, Politics

by Lorraine Carpenter

Editor in chief
Lorraine Carpenter was born in Montreal and studied communications and journalism at Concordia. She co-founded Cult MTL in 2012 following 12 years at the now-defunct Montreal alt weekly the Mirror, where she worked in editorial as copy editor and music editor. She’s dedicated to supporting the cultural scene in Montreal.