Gary Merasty (born September 22, 1964 in Winnipeg, Manitoba) is a Canadian politician and former Liberal Member of Parliament for Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River in northern Saskatchewan. A former two-time Grand Chief of the Prince Albert Grand Council, Merasty is a member of the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation within Treaty 6 territory. He is the first Status First Nations person to be elected in Saskatchewan. Early life Merasty was born on September 22, 1964 in n Winnipeg, Manitoba and was raised in Pelican Narrows, Saskatchewan by his mother Theresa and his aunts. Entry into federal politics In one of the closest races of the 2006 federal election, Merasty defeated Conservative incumbent Jeremy Harrison. On election night, Merasty's victory was reported as 10,225 to 10,119, a margin of 106. Jeremy Harrison challenged the result, but a judicial recount confirmed Merasty's victory by a reduced margin of 67 votes. On the morning after the election, Harrison alleged widespread misconduct. However, an investigation conducted by Elections Canada determined that no wrongdoing had taken place. Political career As a Member of Parliament, Merasty served on the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food, the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development and the Legislative Committee on Bill C-2. He also sat on the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities. Liberal caucus In the Liberal caucus, he served as Indian Affairs associate critic and was a Special Advisor for Aboriginal Outreach. Motion to implement the Kelowna Accord Merasty introduced a motion to implement the Kelowna Accord on Sept. 29, 2006. Although the motion was opposed by the federal Conservative government, it passed by a vote of 160-113. Motion to apologize to survivors of the residential school system Merasty also introduced a motion for the federal government to offer a formal apology to survivors of the Canadian residential school system, which received unanimous all-party support in the House of Commons. Merasty first asked the federal government to offer a formal apology to survivors of the residential school system on Nov. 7, 2006. Merasty raised the question again on March 27, 2007 after Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians Jim Prentice suggested an apology was unnecessary since the primary aim of the schools was "to provide education for aboriginal children." Prentice again refused to offer an apology. In response,