Indigenous leaders endorse NDP candidate Toni Boot

Some local Indigenous leaders are backing New Democrat Toni Boot in the Penticton riding.

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip and his wife, Joan, a member of Penticton Indian Band council, have both endorsed Boot, who’s on leave from her job as mayor of Summerland.

“Toni and John Horgan have proven their willingness to walk the talk on recognizing our inherent title and rights, and they are the only government that has enshrined the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in provincial legislation. They have also consulted with B.C. First Nations on a whole range of issues,” the Phillips said in a press release.

“We need a strong and stable government to deal with the evolving situation and we need a strong voice like that of Toni Boot to represent our region.”

Current PIB Chief Chad Eneas and Joseph Pierre, who’s running to replace Eneas in a band election underway now, are both backing Boot, too.

Other endorsements revealed by Boot’s campaign include John Archer, who serves on a variety of local boards, Amanda Burnett, founder of the Waitlist Project, which advocates for child care, and Don Gayton, a local ecologist and writer.

She has also gotten the nod from local labour groups, including the South Okanagan Boundary Labour Council and the Hospital Employees’ Union.

In the boundary riding, Osoyoos Indian Band Chief Clarence Louie has endorsed Liberal candidate Petra Veintimilla.