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 |
Roméo Saganash, born on October 28, 1961, is a Cree lawyer and a former politician from Canada. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) for the area of Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou in Quebec. He served from 2011 to 2019. Roméo Saganash was part of the New Democratic Party (NDP). He was first elected to the House of Commons in 2011 and was re-elected in 2015. He chose not to run for election in 2019.
Early Life and Education
Roméo Saganash was born on October 28, 1961, in Waswanipi, a Cree community in Quebec. When he was seven years old, he was one of 27 Cree children who went to a French-speaking residential school in La Tuque. He stayed there for ten years and finished his schooling in French.
After school, he attended a meeting about the rights of the Cree people. This meeting made him want to study law. He went to law school at the Université du Québec à Montréal. In 1989, he became the first Cree person to earn a law degree in Quebec. Roméo Saganash speaks three languages: Cree, French, and English.
Political Career
In 1985, Roméo Saganash started the Cree Nation Youth Council. He served as the Deputy Grand Chief of The Grand Council of the Crees of James Bay from 1990 to 1993. Later, he worked for over ten years as the director for Quebec relations and international affairs. From 1997 to 2000, he led the James Bay Advisory Committee on the Environment.
Roméo Saganash was an important Cree leader in his riding, which had many Indigenous people. 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 to represent Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou. He was one of 59 NDP Members of Parliament elected from Quebec. The NDP had its best election ever, becoming the Official Opposition to the government.
On September 16, 2011, Saganash announced he was running to become the leader of the NDP. This was after Jack Layton, the previous leader, had passed away. He is believed to be the first Indigenous person to run for the leadership of a major Canadian political party. He later decided to stop his campaign on February 9, 2012. On March 7, 2012, Saganash announced he would support Tom Mulcair for NDP leader.
In the 2015 Canadian federal election, Saganash was re-elected for his second term. The NDP became the third-largest party in Canada after this election.
In the 2017 NDP leadership election, Saganash supported Niki Ashton. By July 2018, Saganash decided not to run in the next federal election in 2019.
Images for kids
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Saganash in 2011
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Saganash at the 2012 NDP leadership convention in Toronto.
