Roger Lagasse

Roger Lagassé is a public school principal and co-author of several French children's books in British Columbia, Canada. He ran for the leadership of the federal New Democratic Party of Canada in 1989 (see New Democratic Party leadership conventions). His campaign was centred on human rights, environmental and children's issues, combining a generally socialist outlook with a pro-life tendency on abortion, an abolitionist position on the death penalty and an anti-war, anti-imperialistic stance on foreign policy. To the surprise of many, he received enough votes on the convention's first ballot to recover his deposit despite finishing in last place. He did not run for a seat in the Canadian House of Commons in the subsequent 1993 election.

Lagassé later joined the Green Party of British Columbia and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. He opposed Canada's involvement in the Kosovo War, the Iraq War and the Afghanistan War (publishing an anti-war poem entitled "O no Canada"), and signed a petition calling for the release of Slobodan Milošević. Lagassé abandoned the Greens as a result of the German Green Party's support for the bombing of FR Yugoslavia. He endorsed David Orchard's bid to become leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada and when, through a controversial process, the PC merged with the conservative Canadian Alliance, he refused to join the new right-wing Conservative Party of Canada. He campaigned and voted strategically for the local Liberal candidate, who won the 2006 Canadian federal election in his home riding of West Vancouver - Sunhine Coast - Sea to Sky Country, a riding which had long been held by the Canadian Alliance.

Lagassé is a proponent of mixed-economies and believes that society's best interests are served by balancing elements of both free public sector collectivist government enterprise and free private enterprise. He supports an end to Israel's occupation of Palestine and a one state solution in Palestine/Israel where the right of return of exiled Palestinian refugees is enshrined and where all citizens, regardless of religious, ethnic or racial heritage enjoy equal human and democratic rights.

Lagassé and his wife celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary in 2006. They have three children.