Brian Bowman, Winnipeg's new mayor, proud to be Métis

Could Brian Bowman be Winnipeg's first Métis mayor?

After some people suggested that on election night, CBC News put the question to him on Thursday.

"I'm hearing a lot of that and if that is true, that's pretty cool," he said. "I hope it gives Winnipeggers, especially our young indigenous community, a sense that anything is possible in Winnipeg."

It has yet to be confirmed if, indeed, he is the city's first Métis mayor.

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Bowman said his Métis roots come from his mother's side of the family, which has some Cree ancestry.

"We've always been identifying as Métis — family members, my sister, my cousins, they all have their Métis card. I've never actually got my Métis card, but yeah, that's where it comes from," he said.

Bowman said while he's always proud to be Métis, he did not tout his heritage as a selling point during the election campaign.

"I've always been comfortable telling people that I'm Métis. But at the same time, I'm a Winnipegger first and foremost, and I want everybody to be proud of their heritage wherever they come from and know that Winnipeg is a place where dreams can come true," he said.

Bowman recalled having to do the Red River Jig for his grandparents on Sunday nights when he was a child, as well as getting beaten up at school for bringing bannock for lunch.

"My mom made bannock when I was a kid and I remember getting into a bit of a fisticuff with some kids at school," he said with a laugh.