Laforme, Chief R. Stacey

R. Stacey Laforme is the elected Chief of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (MCFN). Born and raised on MCFN, Chief Laforme has served his community for over twenty years, being first elected to council in 1999. Chief Laforme has participated in a number of committees and boards throughout his seven terms, served as a Councillor, including involvement with the MCFN’s Pan Am Games Secretariat (PAGS). As Chair of the PAGS Committee, Chief LaForme was instrumental in raising the profile of all First Nations through the recognition of the MNCFN as the first ever official Host First Nation of the Pan Am/Parapan Am Games. He is very active throughout MNCFN’s traditional territory which encompasses 3.9 million acres of Southern Ontario, not only as a Chief, but as a notable storyteller and poet. Chief Laforme has recently been appointed as honorary senior fellow for Massey College, joining the Duke of Edinburgh and the Chancellor of Oxford as only the third person awarded the highest honor the college can bestow. De dwa da dehs nye (Aboriginal Health Centre) has awarded Chief R. Stacey Laforme the Walter Cooke Wisdom Keeper Award, in recognition of one’s capacity to exemplify significant and continuous service to our community by demonstrating integrity, generosity of spirit, humility, courage, collaboration, “The Good Mind”, and traditional ways of knowing and being. Chief Laforme has collaborated with Kevin Hearns from Barenaked Ladies for a video/song called 215/reconciliation, has participated in the CBC opening program of the Tokyo Olympics, and much more. His most recently published volume of poetry is titled Living in the Tall Grass: Poems of Reconciliation (UpRoute.)