New children's advocate first Indigenous man to assume role in Sask.
Corey O'Soup will assume the role on November 1
On Thursday, Saskatchewan's new advocate for children and youth was announced.
Corey O'Soup was named to the position, and he is the first Indigenous children's advocate in Saskatchewan's history.
"It means a lot for me, but I think it means a lot more for our children and our youth," he said. "That they have someone they can go to and that they have a role model."
He is the province's fourth children's advocate and will replace Bob Pringle.
In the role, O'Soup said his main focus and biggest challenge will be the issues plaguing the young Indigenous population.
"If you look at the numbers, those are pretty drastic," he said, speaking to the high rates of Indigenous children in provincial care, and furthermore the high rates of those that are injured or die.
He also plans to address the lack of mental health resources in Saskatchewan and noted it is an issue that affects all.
"It's not only for the north. You see it all across the province."
Recently, O'Soup headed a task force on the ground in La Loche following the school shooting.
"La Loche changed me as a person. It really gave me a new perspective on the challenges that particularly our children and youth face," he said, adding he also took note of the challenges educators face.
He said Indigenous communities, the government and agencies must work together to help the children.
"That's based around building trust and building relationships."
Former advocate for community organization
The children's advocate role is independent of the Legislature and the person in the position is responsible for providing recommendations to and criticizing the provincial government.
In 2007 and 2008, O'Soup was co-chair of the non-profit organization Station 20 West Development Corporation.
He penned a letter on behalf of Station 20 West to Don McMorris in January 2008 to congratulate the minister on his appointment to cabinet with the Saskatchewan Party and then to advocate for the non-profit organization.
The letter went on to explain why the organization was needed, and that it was helping the Indigenous and inner-city community with health care, social services and food among other important things.
It concluded by saying O'Soup and his co-chair Val Veillard looked forward to working with the Saskatchewan Party to progress Station 20 West.
The Saskatchewan Party then pulled $8 million of its funding because they said the community organization wasn't a good use of taxpayer money.
Switching sides
In 2009, O'Soup caused a stir in Saskatoon when he announced he was running as a candidate for the Saskatchewan Party in Saskatoon Riversdale—the same party that pulled the funding for an organization he formerly advocated for.
According to O'Soup, his past political ties to the Saskatchewan Party will not have an impact on how he handles the job.
"That's extremely important to me — is that I put the children first regardless of political stripes, regardless of anything else," he said. "The advice I always give is always non-partisan and it's in the best interest of the children."
O'Soup said his past positions demonstrate that he is fair-minded.
He has worked for the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations and is the First Nation and Métis advisor at the Ministry of Education, a role he said already has him being critical of the provincial government.
In that position, his job is to advise and critique and he will continue to do that in this new role, he said.
"I feel 100 per cent comfortable doing that."
O'Soup will assume the position of children's advocate on November 1, 2016.