Blake Desjarlais

Blake Desjarlais (born December 29, 1993) is a Canadian politician who represented Edmonton Griesbach in the House of Commons from 2021 to 2025. A member of the New Democratic Party (NDP), Desjarlais is of Cree and Métis descent, making him Alberta's only Indigenous member of Parliament (MP). He is also the first openly two-spirit individual to serve as an MP.

Early life and education Desjarlais was born on December 29, 1993 in Edmonton and grew up in the Fishing Lake Métis Settlement in central Alberta. He is of Cree and Métis descent. His biological mother Brenda was a victim of the Sixties Scoop and spent her childhood in foster care, before working as a sex worker to support herself. When Brenda became pregnant with Blake, she sought help from her sister Grace Desjarlais, who took Blake and raised him herself. On his adoption by his aunt, Desjarlais stated that "she saved [his] life." He went on to study political science and Indigenous studies at MacEwan University; however, he received racially motivated death threats and transferred to the University of Victoria. As a university student, Desjarlais was involved in student politics, and served as firekeeper of the Native Student Union (NSU). When Desjarlais completed his studies, he was appointed the national director of the Métis Settlements General Council in 2016. According to Desjarlais, during an evening canvassing shift, they had a racist interaction with five men who mistook him for being Chinese and blamed him for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Member of Parliament On election day, Desjarlais defeated Kerry Diotte, a two-term Conservative MP. The riding was previously considered a Conservative stronghold.

After being elected, Desjarlais was selected to be the New Democratic Party's deputy caucus chair for the 44th Parliament.

Desjarlais was defeated in the 2025 federal election by Kerry Diotte.

Post-parliamentary career On April 2, 2026, Andrew Knack, the Mayor of Edmonton, announced that Desjarlais would join his office as his chief of staff. Three months later on July 8, Desjarlais stepped down from the position.

Electoral history