Never going to be ashamed:’ Métis, two-spirit NDP MP wants to rebrand Alberta – CTV News

EDMONTON – Blake Desjarlais says he represents what Alberta is truly about and it’s not what the rest of Canada might think.

Believed to be the first two-spirit member of Parliament, the 27-year-old says his ancestry and Métis identity tell a juxtaposed story about the Prairies.

“We have this terrible reputation across the country for being this redneck, Texas-like state,” Desjarlais says in a recent interview while sitting in a hotel lobby in central Edmonton’s Boyle Street neighbourhood.

“(Alberta Premier) Jason Kenney has done an incredible job damaging our credibility across the world … my family founded this province. We fought for it. We shed blood. We know first and foremost what this province is.”

Read More: https://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/never-going-to-be-ashamed-m%C3%A9tis-two-spirit-ndp-mp-wants-to-rebrand-alberta-1.5636828