 On January 3, 2008 she was appointed the Liberal Party of Canada's candidate for the House of Commons of Canada in Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River for the March 17, 2008 by-election.However, she lost the federal by-election to Conservative candidate Rob Clarke.A former CBC journalist, Beatty became the first Aboriginal woman and first First Nations person elected to the Saskatchewan legislature when she was elected on November 5, 2003.