Saganash apologizes for plagiarism in Globe and Mail op-ed on Canada 150

NDP indigenous affairs critic Romeo Saganash is apologizing for having plagiarized portions of a recent newspaper column about Canada's 150th anniversary.

The column appeared in the Canada Day edition of the Globe and Mail under the headline, "150 years of cultural genocide: Today, like all days, is an insult."

In a statement, Saganash says ideas expressed by "someone else" were not given proper credit in the piece, and that he takes "full responsibility" for the omission.

The Quebec MP says steps have been taken to correct the issue, although the passages in question were still apparent in an online version on the Globe's website.

Saganash says the oversight offers an important lesson: Indigenous people, he says, have been without a voice for too long, and he apologizes for not giving the original author due credit.

In the column, Saganash — a residential school survivor — explored the reasons why he would not be participating in Canada 150 celebrations.