Stacey Laforme was born into a life of alcoholism and abuse. At 15, he lived on the street, eventually finding a home with his grandmothers. He started his first job at 12 years old, eventually joining the Ironworkers Union. He attended college late in life. He ran and was elected Chief of the Mississaugas of the Anishinaabe in December 2015. He is an honorary Senior Fellow of Massey College at the University of Toronto, and he recently led a delegation to the UK, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. He was the first Giima (chief) to meet with the British Monarch in over 160 years.