Romeo Saganash, right, the first aboriginal Canadian to seek the leadership of a major federal political party, and the first NDP leadership candidate to visit the city, meets with community members at the Aboriginal Council offices Friday. Herald photo by David Rossiter

Caroline Zentner
Lethbridge herald
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As the first aboriginal person to run for the leadership of a major federal political party, Romeo Saganash stopped in Lethbridge Friday to bolster growing membership in the New Democratic Party in southern Alberta.
"I think it's important for us to encourage that momentum that we see here. Us candidates have also a responsibility to make sure that this party continues to grow," he said during his visit at the Aboriginal Council of Lethbridge.
Saganash is a Quebec MP (Abitibi - Baie James - Nunavik - Eeyou), an area which comprises 53 per cent of Quebec's land mass and is the second-largest riding in the country.
"I'm trying to replace Jack (Layton) by running as one of the nine candidates running in this race," he said.
Saganash is a graduate of the UniversitŽ de Quebec law school and fluent in Cree, French, English and Spanish.
He said his political experience over the past couple of decades negotiating with forestry, mining and hydro companies and the provincial and federal governments will be assets in the position of party leader.
"My purpose throughout these 25 years has been bringing people together in order to move forward. I've proven it. I have my track record to show for it and I've worked at the international level at the United Nations on the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People," he said.
Saganash said he approaches any development keeping three pillars in mind and they include economic development, the environment and the people.
"If you haven't thought through on those three pillars for any development you have not thought through the initiative or the development. That's what we've been insisting over the years in northern Quebec and it's working," he said. "That's what I have achieved for my region and I want to achieve the same thing for the rest of the country."
Saganash said he first met Layton in 2006 when he was a guest speaker at a gathering of Quebec NDP members.
"He asked me if I would consider running for the party," he said. "We kept talking throughout until I was ready in 2011 to run as an MP."
When Saganash said he wanted to run in Quebec City, Layton advised him to go back to his home territory.
"He said 'Consider all of the global challenges that we have today, climate change, environment, resource development, future of aboriginal peoples, relations with aboriginal peoples, water rights. You name it and they're all in that riding. And there's nobody better than you to take up those challenges for the NDP,'" he said.
Saganash said his unique background will also help him if he wins the leadership race.
"I'm a person who was born in the bush, raised in the bush, then sent to residential school before going back to the bush and then went to law school, got elected as Deputy Grand Chief (of the Grand Council of the Cree) 1990 to '93 in years where it was crucial for aboriginal people in the country as well, the Oka crisis, Meech Lake, Charlottetown negotiations. We were also fighting yet another hydroelectric development project in our territory so (those were) very crucial years for a guy that wanted to do a masters degree in political science. I ended up doing it on the ground," he said.
A new NDP leader will be chosen March 24.