Leah Gazan
- Born
- April 8, 1972 — Thompson, Manitoba
- Career
- Lecturer at the Faculty of Education in University of Winnipeg; President for the Social Planning council of Winnipeg
- Political Experience
- First elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 2019 Canadian federal election, serving as the member of Parliament (MP) for Winnipeg Centre.
- Notable
- Participated in Idle No More, advocated for acknowledgement of injustice perpetuated against Indigenous Canadian adoptive children at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
Based on publicly available information — may contain inaccuracies
Business & Financial Interests
Before entering federal politics, Leah Gazan was an educator and activist. She worked as an instructor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Winnipeg. Her work focused on Indigenous issues and social justice. She was also active in community organizing and advocacy for many years.
Key Relationships & Connections
As a Member of Parliament for the New Democratic Party, Gazan is a member of the caucus led by Jagmeet Singh. She is known for her close ties to Indigenous rights movements and activist organizations across Canada. Her mother, Gladys Gazan, was reportedly a well-known community activist who influenced her work.
Public Controversies
Leah Gazan has been at the center of public debate for her strong advocacy on certain issues. In 2021, she successfully introduced a motion in the House of Commons to have Canada's residential school system recognized as a genocide, a move that was significant but also generated discussion. More recently, her statements regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have drawn considerable attention and controversy. She has been a vocal critic of Israel's military actions in Gaza, and her use of the term "genocide" to describe the situation has been criticized by some pro-Israel advocacy groups and other political figures.
Where Leah falls on key policy spectrums
Your Money
People & Society
How We're Governed
Land & Community
How does Leah Gazan's voting record line up with your values?
C-5 C-39 Mr. Speaker, indigenous peoples and environmental groups warned that Billlets the government override environmental protections and constitutionally protected indigenous rights in the name of the so-called national interest, but apparently that was not enough. Now with Bill, the Liberals are expanding their power to fast-track major projects and weaken those same protections. After a
Mr. Speaker, Orange Shirt Day is a day to honour residential school survivors and children, our relatives who never made it home and the parents who were left in deafening silence every September, which was when our children were kidnapped and taken off to residential schools. It was a violent plan to get us out of the way in the name of nation building. That is why, in 2022, the House recognized
Mr. Speaker, I rise very proudly today to present a petition, which is critical in upholding the ongoing project of reconciliation, put forward by residential school survivors, many of whom are joining us in Ottawa today. They are very concerned that the federal government is not upholding its duty of care for survivors, families and communities on the path of reconciliation. I would like to
Mr. Speaker, it has been two years since I tabled my bill to add to the Criminal Code residential school denialism as a form of inciting hate. Residential school survivors, their families and their communities have a right to safety, security and dignity. I have spoken to ministers. Survivors want this criminalized. If the government is committed to protecting survivors, will it listen to
Mr. Speaker, as somebody who has rights holder adhesion to Treaty No. 4, I can say that the only thing the government is committed to is saying the right words. Its actions speak differently. It is time for the Liberals to stop using our brown bodies as indigenous people and stop slapping us in the face when they turn their backs on their treaty obligations time and time again. Upholding treaties
C-247 Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Jobs Mr. Speaker, earlier this year on International Workers' Day, I asked the Liberal government why it continued refusing to support my bill, NDP Bill, to repeal section 107 and stop violations against workers' right to strike. This bill is supported by workers and unions across Canada. In response, thedeflected her government's failures and
Mr. Speaker, that was a good story time. I am going to quote my good friend, President Mark Hancock, from the Canadian Union of Public Employees. He said, “[W]e will not win this trade war or make Canada stronger by stripping away the Charter rights of our own people.” He also said, “Gutting hard-won rights and protections for Canada’s workers will not help this government deliver certainty – it
Mr. Speaker, it is so nice to rise today as we begin another session. C-10 I want to start by saying that the NDP absolutely supports Bill. It is something that indigenous and modern treaty partners have long been asking for, an independent oversight and accountability mechanism over the federal government on modern treaty implementation. C-15 This is also an obligation that is outlined in
Mr. Speaker, the government has clearly demonstrated that the only partners it cares about are big corporations, which comes on the backs of people, the environment, indigenous rights and community health and safety. If we want to talk about accountability, the government has shown that it is not accountable. It has continued to violate the minimum standards outlined in the articles of the United
Mr. Speaker, this is about free, prior and informed consent, and the government needs to stop announcing projects of national interest that involve indigenous people after the fact. In fact, Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Linda Debassige called out the government for its “continued failure to respect our Nation's inherent rights and the treaties.” She said, “the lands and resources being
C-5 Mr. Speaker, I want to let the member across the way know that the NDP absolutely supports appointing an independent treaty commissioner, but I am having trouble because the government, time and time again, has demonstrated that it actually does not respect treaties. There is the MOU signed with Alberta without treaty partners; treaties 6, 7 and 8; and Bill, which in fact violated modern
Mr. Speaker, this has been one of the most disappointing years of my nearly seven years in Parliament, watching the Carney government bulldoze constitutional rights and human rights. The final blow came this week when the Liberals tabled new water legislation after years of failing to end long-term boil advisories. This bill does not recognize safe, clean water as a human right for first nations.
Prime Minister Mr. Speaker, this week the Liberals tabled water legislation that would fail to recognize clean drinking water as a human right. Today I stood with Grassy Narrows First Nation, where children continue to suffer mercury poisoning caused by decades of government and corporate neglect. This is a national disgrace. When challenged to deliver justice, the's response to a woman living