Wednesday's ceremony was steeped in Indigenous culture to mark the historic moment.
Source: CBC News
Wab Kinew has officially become Manitoba's 25th premier, and the first First Nations premier of a Canadian province, following a colourful and tradition-filled swearing-in ceremony that Kinew said marked the dawn of a new day for the province.
Kinew took his oath of office, which was administered by Manitoba Lt.-Gov. Anita Neville, while wearing a ceremonial First Nations headdress in a ceremony at The Leaf in Winnipeg's Assiniboine Park.
After taking his oath, Kinew greeted the crowd in the languages of seven different Manitoba Indigenous nations, and said Wednesday was the start of a new era.
"Today is a new day in our province. Today, a new era begins and today we get to work for you, the people of Manitoba," he said.
"We're committed to putting the people of Manitoba first, and we will devote every single day of the next four years to serving you and the future generations that will some day walk these lands."
Wednesday's ceremony was steeped in Indigenous culture to mark the historic moment.
It began with the lighting of the quilliq, a traditional Inuit oil lamp, and later featured traditional drumming and singing by Sioux Valley's Dakota Hotain Singers and the Red River jig performed by Norman Chief Memorial Dancers, a Métis music and dance group.
Premier Kinew's cabinet is a diverse one, with Uzoma Asagwara, who is non-binary and the first black queer MLA, named the new health minister and deputy premier of Manitoba. Manitoba's cabinet includes First Nations women for the first time, and half his cabinet are women.
