After resigning from the Saskatchewan NDP Caucus in early August, Buckley Belanger fell short in his federal campaign bid seeking a seat in Ottawa for the Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River riding. Belanger resigned from the NDP Caucus' electoral district of Athabasca in northern Saskatchewan in August 2021 after a 26-year stint with the party. The riding makes up the northern half of the province as the geographically third-largest federal riding in the provinces (more than 340,000 square kilometres). "We should not have a Conservative MP … Indigenous people do not vote for Conservative," Belanger said, noting the region's population is two-thirds Indigenous. Belanger also argued that the northern riding should be split into two ridings to better serve the northern communities' unique needs.

Source: CBC News September 26, 2021 21:56 UTC