Kevin Chief's resignation met with good wishes and 'profound sadness'

The resignation of Kevin Chief has people in Winnipeg's Indigenous community speculating about his future and has prompted an expression of "profound sadness"from a political rival.

• Point Douglas MLA Kevin Chief resigns seat

"I guess for all of us it's a bit of a loss in one sense. We push, as leaders and members of the community, for individuals in our community to seek those roles and attain those roles. Kevin was kind of a star that way," said Damon Johnston, president of the Aboriginal Council of Winnipeg.

"He did that and he became a minister and we were all very proud of him and of course still are, but he's an individual too, he has a right to make these choices in his life," Johnston added, saying he had a heads-up this was coming but wouldn't say if he knew what Chief was planning to do next.

We push, as leaders and members of the community, for individuals in our community to seek those roles and attain those roles. Kevin was kind of a star that way.- DamonJohnston

"We all look at our careers at different times and make decisions to go in a different direction and I think that's what he's done here and I think we need to support him in that."

Chief, the NDP MLA for Winnipeg's Point Douglas area, was elected in 2011 and re-elected in 2016.

He served as minister of the department of Children and Youth Opportunities and as minister of Jobs and the Economy before the NDP lost the election last spring to the Progressive Conservatives.

Chief had been talked about as a potential leader of the NDP after the big loss to the PCs. But instead of heading up, he's heading out.

The NDP issued a news release on Wednesday, saying Chief was leaving politics for "family reasons." His resignation will take effect at the end of December.

• Point Douglas MLA Kevin Chief resigns seat
• Kevin Chief opts out of Manitoba NDP leadership race

JudyKlassen, the interim leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party, called Chief "an incredible inspiration" and lamented his resignation.

'Incredible inspiration'

"It is with profound sadness that I learned today of the resignation of KevinChieffrom his position as the MLA for Point Douglas," she said in a statement released Wednesday evening.

"Kevin has been a politician who has always put his community first and who as an Indigenous leader has always been an incredible inspiration to me. He has spent tireless hours invested in making Point Douglas and Manitoba a better place to live."

He has spent tireless hours invested in making Point Douglas and Manitoba a better place to live.- JudyKlassen

Johnston, who's known Chieffor 20 years, said there are a "multitude of opportunities" for Chief outside of politics.

"Kevin has connections in many different places. He's done a bit of work with the business community and maybe he'll move in that kind of direction," Johnston said.

"I'm hoping he will because myself, I'm on the board of the Aboriginal Chamber of Commerce. I've been making an effort to build within the business community and he could have value that way, but I'm not quite sure."

'A Point Douglas Hero'

Both he and Klassen said they understand fully the desire to spend more time with family.

"I know he has three young boys, younger boys, I'll applaud that," Johnston said. "I know the importance of a father especially to young boys."

"Public life is taxing on families and as a mother of six, I know that children grow up in the blink of an eye," Klassen said. "It is difficult to be away from home and the duties of an MLA often require compromise of personal commitments.

"Megwetch, Kevin Chief, for your service to our people and this province, we wish you best in your next endeavours."

Sel Burrows of the North Point Douglas Residents Association called Chief "a Point Douglas hero."

"This guy goes back to when he was growing up and becoming a success and showing that 'Hey, it doesn't matter if I've got a father who's an alcoholic. I can still succeed.' And then he believed in the community. He stuck with us."

Burrows said he believes Chief wants todo more to find work for disadvantaged youth in the inner city and the North.

He said he thinks Chief stretched himself too thin.

"Wherever they needed somebody, he'd be there. And it was a huge toll on him," Burrows said.