Diom Roméo Saganash (born October 28, 1961) is a Cree lawyer and former politician from Canada. Saganash served as the member of Parliament (MP) for Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou in Quebec from 2011 to 2019. A member of the New Democratic Party (NDP), he was first elected to the House of Commons in the 2011 federal election and was re-elected in the 2015 federal election. He did not run in 2019.
Romeo Saganash | |
|---|---|
 Saganash in 2011 | |
| Shadow Minister for International Cooperation | |
| In office April 19, 2012 – October 21, 2012 | |
| Leader | Tom Mulcair |
| Preceded by | Jinny Sims |
| Succeeded by | Hélène Laverdière |
| Shadow Minister for Natural Resources | |
| In office May 26, 2011 – September 30, 2011 | |
| Leader | Jack Layton Nycole Turmel |
| Preceded by | Denis Coderre |
| Succeeded by | Claude Gravelle |
| Member of Parliament for Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou | |
| In office May 2, 2011 – September 11, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Yvon Lévesque |
| Succeeded by | Sylvie Bérubé |
| Deputy Grand Chief of the Grand Council of the Crees | |
| In office 1990–1993[1] | |
| Grand Chief | Ted Moses |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Diom Romeo Saganash[2] October 28, 1961 Waswanipi, Quebec, Canada |
| Political party | New Democratic |
| Children | Stéphanie Labrecque Saganash
Felix Labrecque-Saganash Maïtée Labrecque-Saganash [3] |
| Residence | Quebec City |
| Alma mater | Université du Québec à Montréal |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Early life and education
editSaganash was born on October 28, 1961, in Waswanipi, a native community in Quebec.[4] At the age of seven, he was among 27 Cree children taken from their homes to attend a French-language residential school in La Tuque, where he lived with an English-speaking Anglican family.[5] The program was cancelled the following year, but he remained there for ten years, completing his schooling in French.[6] After that, he attended a meeting on the negotiations between the Cree and government officials on constitutional and resource rights, which sparked his interest in pursuing a law degree. He attended law school at the Université du Québec à Montréal and in 1989 he became the first Cree to receive a law degree in Quebec.[7] Saganash is fluent in Cree, French and English.[4][8]
Political career
edit
In 1985, Saganash founded the Cree Nation Youth Council.[9] He was the Deputy Grand Chief to The Grand Council of the Crees of James Bay from 1990 to 1993,[2] and he later served as director of Quebec relations and international affairs for over ten years.[10] From 1997 to 2000, Saganash chaired the James Bay Advisory Committee on the Environment.[9]
As a prominent Cree figure in a riding with many Indigenous peoples, Saganash received personal support from NDP Quebec lieutenant Tom Mulcair, who referred to Saganash as a "very important candidate".[10] He was elected in the 2011 federal election to represent Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou.[4] He was one of 59 NDP MPs elected for Quebec ridings (all newcomers to Parliament except Mulcair), and the party overall achieved its best showing in a federal election to date by becoming Official Opposition to the Conservative government, which rose from minority to majority standing.
On September 16, 2011, Saganash announced that he was running for the leadership of the NDP, to succeed Jack Layton, who had died the previous month.[11] He is believed to be the first Indigenous person to run for the leadership of a major Canadian party.[8] He withdrew on February 9, 2012, however, citing illness in his family and a lack of confidence in his campaign.[12] On March 7, 2012, Saganash announced that he would support Mulcair for NDP leader.[13]
After an incident where he was removed from an Air Canada Jazz flight from Montreal to Val-d'Or for intoxication, Saganash took sick leave in October 2012 for the treatment of alcohol dependency. Saganash cited the death of his "friend and mentor" Jack Layton, as well as the "profound scars" he received while in the residential school system, as the reasons for his dependency.[14] He completed his treatment in November 2012, and returned for the start of the House's first session of 2013.[15]
In the 2015 Canadian federal election, Saganash was re-elected to a second term. The NDP fell from second to third in the seat count nationally, behind the new Liberal majority government and the Conservatives.
In the 2017 NDP leadership election, Saganash supported Niki Ashton.[16]
By July 2018, Saganash had decided not to run in the 43rd Canadian federal election, which took place in 2019.[17]
In 2023, Saganash was charged with sexual assault. [18]
Electoral record
edit| 2015 Canadian federal election: Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| New Democratic | Roméo Saganash | 12,778 | 37.02 | -7.80 | $33,061.53 | |||
| Liberal | Pierre Dufour | 11,094 | 32.14 | +21.67 | $29,180.64 | |||
| Bloc Québécois | Luc Ferland | 6,398 | 18.54 | +0.27 | $31,842.28 | |||
| Conservative | Steven Hébert | 3,211 | 9.30 | -13.25 | $11,040.28 | |||
| Green | Patrick Benoît | 779 | 2.26 | -1.63 | $2,173.92 | |||
| Rhinoceros | Mario Gagnon | 258 | 0.75 | – | $3.70 | |||
| Total valid votes/Expense limit | 34,518 | 100.0 | $247,914.66 | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | 609 | – | – | |||||
| Turnout | 35,127 | 55.55 | – | |||||
| Eligible voters | 63,226 | |||||||
| New Democratic hold | Swing | -14.73 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Canada[19][20] | ||||||||
| 2011 Canadian federal election: Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| New Democratic | Roméo Saganash | 13,961 | 44.79 | +36.59 | $61,976.57 | |||
| Conservative | Jean-Maurice Matte | 7,089 | 22.74 | -7.63 | $75,028.15 | |||
| Bloc Québécois | Yvon Lévesque | 5,615 | 18.02 | -21.63 | $61,279.33 | |||
| Liberal | Léandre Gervais | 3,282 | 10.53 | -7.89 | $76,159.99 | |||
| Green | Johnny Kasudluak | 1,221 | 3.92 | +0.58 | $0.00 | |||
| Total valid votes/Expense limit | 31,168 | 100.00 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 480 | 1.51 | ||||||
| Turnout | 31,684 | 53.69 | ||||||
| New Democratic Party gain from Bloc Québécois | Swing | +29.11 | ||||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Bryden, Joan (3 November 2011). "Saganash questions validity of NDP signature policy on Quebec secession". Winnipeg Free Press. Canadian Press. Retrieved 29 December 2011.[dead link]
- ^ a b "Q & A: Diom Roméo Saganash". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
- ^ Léouzon, Roxane (12 September 2022). "Quatre partis, quatre candidats autochtones: Maïtée Labrecque-Saganash". Le Devoir (in French). Retrieved 4 October 2022.
- ^ a b c "Cree politician Romeo Saganash". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 26 September 2012. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
- ^ Patrick, Donna (2003). Language, politics, and social interaction in an Inuit community. Berlin, Germany: Walter de Gruyter. p. 218. ISBN 3-11-017652-1.
- ^ Marcelino, Don (2000). Le voyage sacré amérindien. Année 2000, regard amérindien sur l'Europe (in French). ISBN 2-910677-39-7.
- ^ House of Commons Debates: Official Report Volume 2. Ottawa: Queen's Printer. 1989.
- ^ a b Authier, Philip (17 September 2011). "Saganash announces bid for NDP leadership". Montreal Gazette. Archived from the original on 26 September 2011. Retrieved 17 September 2011.
- ^ a b "About Romeo Saganash". New Democratic Party. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
- ^ a b Dougherty, Kevin (31 March 2011). "Popular Cree leader running for NDP". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 3 May 2011.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Romeo Saganash says he will run for the NDP leadership". Winnipeg Free Press. Canadian Press. 16 September 2011. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
- ^ Canadian, Press (9 February 2012). "Saganash to bow out of NDP leadership race, announcement Friday". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
- ^ Authier, Philip (7 March 2012). "Romeo Saganash backs Thomas Mulcair for NDP leadership". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
- ^ Payton, Laura. "NDP MP Saganash taking sick leave to treat alcoholism". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
- ^ Cohen, Tobi (16 January 2013). "Romeo Saganash returns from rehab, NDP MP happy to be back at 'crucial' time for aboriginals". Postmedia News. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
- ^ Deshaies, Thomas (15 August 2017). "Saganash appuie la candidate de la "justice économique"" [Saganash supports the candidate of "economic justice"]. L'Écho Abitibien (in French). Val d'Or, Quebec. Archived from the original on 16 August 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
- ^ Ryckewaert, Laura (2 July 2018). "Political parties busy laying groundwork this summer for 2019 election, Conservatives already ahead". The Hill Times. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
- ^ "Former NDP MP Romeo Saganash referred to Manitoba restorative justice program after sex assault charge".
- ^ Elections Canada – Confirmed candidates for Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, 30 September 2015
- ^ Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine