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Betty Nippi-Albright, MLA for Saskatoon Centre and Saskatchewan’s only sitting First Nation female representative, is quitting the NDP caucus to sit as an indpendent.
Nippi-Albright issued a statement on Tuesday saying that the move was effective immediately and comes after she said she had not felt “the support or respect required” to carry out her work representing the community in her riding.
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“This decision comes after long reflection about how I can best serve the community of Saskatoon Centre and the people who placed their trust in me,” her statement said.
“I entered public life to serve Saskatoon Centre and to be a strong Indigenous voice for Indigenous people in this province on issues that matter to them.”
Nippi-Albright, a Saulteaux and Cree woman, said she brings “a unique perspective: academic training, health experience, and lived experience that are not represented elsewhere in the Legislature.”
“In good conscience, I can no longer support the direction of (NDP Leader) Carla Beck’s leadership,” she said in her statement.
Beck seemed taken by surprise by the move. Speaking to media just a few minutes after the statement was posted on social media, she said she’d just been made aware of it.
“I haven’t had the opportunity to speak to Betty yet. I’ll have that conversation with her tonight and be more prepared to answer questions on that tomorrow,” Beck said.
Nippi-Albright’s statement said her responsibility was “first and always to the citizens of Saskatoon Centre and not to any political party.”
“I was elected to be a voice for the people of Saskatoon Centre. I have raised important issues for a long time, many of which did not receive attention until recently,” Nippi-Albright said.
She said that sitting as an Independent would allow her to “continue advocating for Saskatoon Centre, for Inherent and Treaty Rights holders, and for those whose voices are too often overlooked.”
Nippi-Albright was the NDP’s mental health and addictions critic. She recently called for more resources to be allocated to organizations and other non-profit groups following the closure of Saskatoon’s Prairie Harm Reduction, the city’s only supervised drug injection site.
Nippi-Albright held her Saskatoon Centre seat in 2024 with 3,480 votes over Saskatchewan Party’s Dale Hrynuik who had 2,067 votes.
— with files from 980 CJME’s Lisa Schick
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