Peter Penashue facts for kids

Peter Penashue was born on April 9, 1964. He is a Canadian politician from Newfoundland and Labrador. He made history as the first Innu person from Labrador to be elected to Canada's Parliament. He was also the first Innu person to become a cabinet minister in the Canadian government.

Peter Penashue was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the Conservative Party of Canada. He represented the area of Labrador after the 2011 Canadian federal election. He later resigned from his role and tried to win his seat back in a special election. However, he was defeated by Yvonne Jones of the Liberal Party. He ran again in the 2015 election but was not successful.

Early Life & Education

Peter Penashue was born in the Innu community of Sheshatshiu, which is in Newfoundland and Labrador. His mother, Elizabeth, is a writer. He went to school in Sheshatshiu for his elementary and high school years. Later, he continued his studies in St. John's. He graduated from Brother Rice High School and also studied at Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Leadership in the Innu Community

Peter Penashue took on many important leadership roles within the Innu community in Labrador. He worked as a director for land claims, helping to manage land issues for the Innu people. He also served as an executive director and financial administrator for the Naskapi Montagnais Innu.

At just 26 years old, Peter Penashue was elected as the President of the Innu Nation. He then served as the Grand Chief of the Innu Nation for a total of twelve years. This was from 1990 to 1997 and again from 1999 to 2004. As Grand Chief, he played a key role in negotiating an important agreement. This agreement was about the benefits and impacts of the Voisey's Bay Nickel Company on the Innu Nation. In 2007, he was also elected as the Deputy Grand Chief of the Innu Nation in Sheshatshiu. He stepped down from this role in March 2010.

National Politics

Peter Penashue was elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 2011 Canadian federal election. He won the seat for the Labrador area. When the votes were first counted, it looked like the Liberal candidate, Todd Russell, would win. But after the final votes were tallied, Peter Penashue won by a small number of votes. His victory margin was 79 votes after a recount.

Peter Penashue was one of two Innu people serving in Canada's Parliament at that time. The other Innu MP was Jonathan Genest-Jourdain. He was a New Democratic MP from the nearby area of Manicouagan in Quebec.

Serving as a Cabinet Minister

From May 18, 2011, until March 14, 2013, Peter Penashue held two important positions in the Canadian government. He was the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs. This role involves working with different levels of government across Canada. He was also the President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada. This is a senior role that advises the Queen's representative in Canada.

Campaign Challenges and Later Career

After the 2011 election, some issues arose regarding Peter Penashue's campaign finances. These issues were related to how his campaign received and managed money. On March 14, 2013, Peter Penashue decided to resign from his position in Parliament. He then announced he would try to win his seat back in a special election, called a by-election. This by-election took place on May 13, 2013. However, he was defeated by Yvonne Jones of the Liberal Party.

In 2015, Peter Penashue ran again as the Conservative candidate for his former riding. He was once more running against Yvonne Jones. He did not win this election, coming in third place.

Later, Peter Penashue served on an important committee. This committee was called the Independent Expert Advisory Committee. It looked into health concerns related to the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric project. He was one of two representatives from the Innu Nation on this committee.