I am officially announcing that I support Romeo Saganash in the race to determine who will be the next leader of the NDP.

Jack Layton’s social policies and his determination to lay the foundation for a broad national reconciliation between Quebec and the rest of Canada inspired me to become actively involved in politics with the NDP. “Let’s work together,” as Jack would say.

This same openness and desire to work together to improve the lot of communities while respecting the rights of individuals, peoples and nations also inspired Romeo Saganash’s throughout his career as a politician and activist.

In 2002, Romeo Saganash played a key role in the negotiations that led to the signing of the Paix des Braves agreement between the Government of Quebec and the Grand Council of the Crees. A distinguished lawyer, he also helped negotiate the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Romeo Saganash was one of 14 children who was removed from his home at the age of five and sent to a residential school with his brothers and sisters. His personal experience and political commitment over the past 25 years are proof of the incredible resilience of an individual and a people subjected to forced assimilation.

The fact that Romeo Saganash today aspires to lead the NDP and, eventually, Canada, a country that in the course of its history tried its best to annihilate the aboriginal peoples, is for me an event as pivotal as Barak Obama’s rise to power in the White House.

Jack Layton and Romeo Saganash were the recent artisans of two national reconciliations, the Paix des Braves and the May 2 election, which saw renewed support from Quebeckers for a pan-Canadian party.

But there is still one reconciliation to effect in Canada, one which concerns us as Canadians but has implications for the entire planet. For the sake of current and future generations, we must reconcile economic development, social justice and the protection of ecosystems before it’s too late.

When I think how important this challenge is, I know that Romeo Saganash is the obvious choice for leader of the NDP.

I can think of no one in a better position than Romeo to attest to the negative impact of climate change on the ecosystems and peoples of the boreal forest and Far North or to convince us of the need to act now and implement the principles of sustainable development.

Imagine the renewed relevance and credibility that Canada would achieve in the international arena with Romeo Saganash as its Prime Minister during discussions regarding the follow up to the Kyoto Protocol. What a powerful message of hope we would send to the world!

Equally compelling and meaningful are his call to establish fair global economic rules to ensure a better distribution of wealth among all people and end poverty and social exclusion.
Romeo’s leadership bid would not inspire such enthusiasm were it not for his ability to listen and his sensitivity—qualities that are essential to leading the New Democratic Party in the footsteps of Jack Layton.

One of his many qualities—one that he shared with Jack—is his humility before others and before the vastness and mysteries of life.

When I first met Romeo Saganash, I wasn’t looking for a new leader, or for power or destiny; I was looking for the hidden road that could lead us farther. A flock of geese in the autumn sky making its way to other shores told me that we must “walk together toward the horizon; it is still far off.”