Mandy Gull-Masty becomes 1st Indigenous head of Indigenous Services Canada
CBC
An MP from Northern Quebec has become the first Indigenous cabinet minister to hold the portfolio responsible for providing services for First Nations, Inuit and Métis.
Mandy Gull-Masty, who is Cree from Waswanipi Cree Nation, was named the new minister of Indigenous Services in Prime Minister Mark Carney's government on Tuesday.
Gull-Masty, MP for the vast riding of Abitibi-Baie-James-Nunavik-Eeyou, is one of 28 ministers and 10 secretaries of state who were sworn in at a ceremony Tuesday at Rideau Hall in Ottawa.
She'll be working closely with N.W.T. MP Rebecca Alty, who has been named the minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations.
Irene Neeposh, chief of Waswanipi, around 625 kilometres north of Quebec City, found out about Gull-Masty's new role from CBC News in an interview, and said she's overjoyed.
"I'm very, very happy to receive this news," Neeposh said.
"I think it's crucial that the Indigenous representation is an active participant within the Parliament system of our country."
In 2021, Gull-Masty was elected as the first female grand chief of the Grand Council of the Crees/Cree Nation Government on a platform that centred on governance, language and culture as well as the economy. She stepped down in March to run for the Liberal Party in the federal election.
She's one of 24 rookie MPs in Parliament.
Bill Namagoose, former executive director of the Grand Council of the Crees/Cree Nation Government, said he was surprised and pleased to hear of Gull-Masty in the role and that it was "truly historic for the Cree nation and for Indigenous people across Canada."
Gull-Masty is one of three Indigenous MPs sworn into Carney's cabinet Tuesday.
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