Wab's wild years

While we toast Wab Kinew’s historic victory last night, let’s not lose sight of the big picture. While technically only half white, Kinew has been a creature of privilege his entire life. Sure, he had some issues early on. The testosterone-alcohol combo has been the bane of many a young man. It’s a credit to Kinew that he got past that phase. However, that’s where his path deviates from the stereotypes. Instead of staying trapped in the downward spiral so many young Indigenous find themselves in, Wab Kinew bounced into a career at CBC, thanks to his privileged background. CBC gave Kinew a national profile, and that’s what got him into politics, and here he is, Premier-elect of Manitoba! The term “hang around the fort” was used by Indigenous activists to refer to those in their communities who sucked up to the colonizers, the inference being that when you hang around the fort long enough, your loyalties to your people are compromised by your dependence on the fort. Let’s hope Kinew can rise above that. Manitoba’s Indigenous population, at 20%, the highest in the land, has extremely high expectations of Mr Kinew. Sooner or later, he’ll have to choose between his people and the fort.