Romeo Saganash facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Romeo Saganash
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Saganash in 2011
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| Shadow Minister for International Cooperation | |
| In office April 19, 2012 – October 21, 2012 |
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| Leader | Tom Mulcair |
| Preceded by | Jinny Sims |
| Succeeded by | Hélène Laverdière |
| Shadow Minister for Natural Resources | |
| In office May 26, 2011 – September 30, 2011 |
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| Leader | Jack Layton Nycole Turmel |
| Preceded by | Denis Coderre |
| Succeeded by | Claude Gravelle |
| Member of Parliament for Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou |
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| In office May 2, 2011 – September 11, 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Yvon Lévesque |
| Succeeded by | Sylvie Bérubé |
| Deputy Grand Chief of the Grand Council of the Crees | |
| In office 1990–1993 |
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| Grand Chief | Ted Moses |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Diom Romeo Saganash
October 28, 1961 Waswanipi, Quebec, Canada |
| Political party | New Democratic |
| Children | Stéphanie Labrecque Saganash Felix Labrecque-Saganash Maïtée Labrecque-Saganash |
| Residence | Quebec City |
| Alma mater | Université du Québec à Montréal |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Diom Roméo Saganash (born October 28, 1961) is a Cree lawyer and former politician from Canada. He served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the area of Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou in Quebec. He was an MP from 2011 to 2019.
Roméo Saganash was a member of the New Democratic Party (NDP). He was first elected to the House of Commons in the 2011 federal election. He was re-elected in the 2015 federal election. He decided not to run for re-election in 2019.
Early Life and Education
Roméo Saganash was born on October 28, 1961. His birthplace was Waswanipi, a Cree community in Quebec. When he was seven years old, he attended a French-language school in La Tuque. He stayed there for ten years and completed his schooling in French.
Later, he became interested in law. This happened after he attended a meeting about the rights of the Cree people. He studied law at the Université du Québec à Montréal. In 1989, he became the first Cree person to earn a law degree in Quebec. Roméo Saganash can speak Cree, French, and English fluently.
Political Career
In 1985, Roméo Saganash started the Cree Nation Youth Council. From 1990 to 1993, he was the Deputy Grand Chief of The Grand Council of the Crees of James Bay. After that, he worked for over ten years as the director of Quebec relations and international affairs. He also led the James Bay Advisory Committee on the Environment from 1997 to 2000.
Roméo Saganash was an important Cree leader. Many Indigenous people live in the area he represented. He received strong support from Tom Mulcair, a leader in the NDP. Mulcair called Saganash a "very important candidate."
Saganash was elected in the 2011 federal election. He became the Member of Parliament for Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou. In that election, 59 NDP MPs were elected from Quebec. Most of them were new to Parliament. The NDP had its best election ever and became the Official Opposition. This meant they were the main opposing party to the government.
On September 16, 2011, Saganash announced he would run for the leadership of the NDP. He wanted to take over from Jack Layton, who had passed away. He is thought to be the first Indigenous person to run for the leader of a major Canadian political party. However, he withdrew from the race on February 9, 2012. On March 7, 2012, Saganash announced he would support Tom Mulcair for NDP leader.
In the 2015 Canadian federal election, Roméo Saganash was re-elected for a second term. The NDP finished third in the number of seats across Canada. The Liberal party formed a majority government.
In the 2017 NDP leadership election, Saganash supported Niki Ashton. By July 2018, Saganash decided not to run in the next federal election. This election took place in 2019.
See also
- 2012 New Democratic Party leadership election
