Manitoba politicians say goodbye to NDP MLA Amanda Lathlin in emotional tribute

Premier Wab Kinew draped the Manitoba flag over an empty seat as politicians from across the aisle said goodbye to one of their own in an emotional tribute at the legislature on Monday.

Kinew sang a song that broke through the silence of the House chamber as loved ones and colleagues hung their heads in mourning for the late NDP MLA Amanda Lathlin.

"Her legacy was very, very profound," Kinew said during a tribute to Lathlin. "We take very seriously, as the government, the responsibility to carry forward Amanda's legacy."

The NDP announced Saturday that Lathlin, 49, who championed issues like leave for women who miscarry and supports for survivors of sexual abuse in the north, had died. The governing party said last month she would step away amid health complications.

Normal question period matters were adjourned for the day on Monday so MLAs could instead mourn Lathlin.

Previously a councillor for Opaskweyak Cree Nation in northwestern Manitoba, Lathlin became the first First Nation woman to be elected to the Manitoba legislative assembly in a 2015 byelection in the riding then known as The Pas.

"Though Indigenous women have been here on this part of the world since time immemorial, it took until 2015 for Amanda Lathlin to break that glass ceiling," Kinew said.

She was re-elected twice — in 2019, when the riding became The Pas-Kameesak, and again in 2023, when the NDP were elected.

Lathlin followed in the footsteps of her father, long-time NDP MLA Oscar Lathlin, who served as a cabinet minister under former premier Gary Doer.

Kinew recalled being blown away the first time he attended the Northern Manitoba Trappers' Festival in The Pas and saw how Lathlin seemed to know everyone by name.

Lathlin was passionate about several issues, pushing for legislation to provide more supports for survivors of sexual assault in the north, particularly children.

The law she helped pass was a "common sense priority" that helps ensure kids who suffer such a tragedy in the north receive better access to supports, said Kinew, "and yet it didn't happen until Amanda came here."

"That's why representation matters," he said.

"You need the voices at the table of the people who know what it's like to be able to make sure that our democracy really works, and that a government or a system can represent the people that it's supposed to serve.