Sabagenzi was born in Burundi, but his family moved to the municipality of Pontiac when he was young. He attended CEGEP de l’Outaouais and is currently completing his bachelor’s degree in Political Science at University de Sherbrooke.

Sabagenzi explains that . . .

Quebec Solidaire is based on a philosophy of environmentalism, social justice, feminism, and redistribution of resources. He continued by saying “it’s about equity and building a society that leaves no one behind. So we’re rooted in a deep, progressive action.”

He chose to run for the candidacy as he believes that his personal ideology matches closely with the goals of the party. Furthermore, he thinks that the region has been neglected by the current government surrounding issues of economic prosperity, healthcare, and the environment.

“We’ve been neglected regarding health care services, we need to go to Ontario or elsewhere in the region to get services. We’ve been neglected regarding the economy, the median income in rural Pontiac is about $30,000 a year, which is well below the average in Quebec. And we’ve been neglected regarding the environment. Many new housing projects being constructed are automatically connected to gas to be heated, which is quite damaging regarding CO2 emission,” said Sabagenzi.

Because of this, he will be campaigning on these issues as he believes they will bring about tangible change for residents. If elected, Sabagenzi and his party plan on raising the minimum wage in Quebec. He criticized the $500 a week tax refund proposed by the CAQ saying, “the five hundred dollar checks sent by the CAQ will help people disproportionately, and it won’t help poor people enough. It won’t help rich people at all. So we’re going to raise the minimum wage.”

On a personal level, Sabagenzi believes he is uniquely suited to this position because as a twenty-two year old he can relate to a younger generation of voters that are statistically least likely to make their way to the polls, as well as being a viable alternative to older voters. He furthered his point saying if he wins the candidacy he will ensure that marginalized people in the riding are represented. He concluded by speaking directly to young voters, imploring them to go out and vote on October 3, saying “please, young people, who are hearing me, you need to vote, you need to participate because your voice matters.”

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