Elijah Harper (March 3, 1949 – May 17, 2013) was a Canadian

Oji-Cree The Oji-Cree are a First Nation in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba, residing in a narrow band extending from the Missinaibi River region in Northeastern Ontario at the east to Lake Winnipeg at the west. The Oji-Cree people are des ...

politician who served as a member of the

Legislative Assembly of Manitoba The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba (french: Assemblée législative du Manitoba) is the deliberative assembly of the Manitoba Legislature in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly at provincial gener ...

(MLA) from 1981 to 1992 and a

member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

(MP) from 1993 to 1997. Harper was elected chief of the Red Sucker Lake Indian Band in 1978, serving for four years and worked as a policy analyst prior to entering politics. He was a key factor in the rejection of the

Meech Lake Accord The Meech Lake Accord (french: Accord du lac Meech) was a series of proposed amendments to the Constitution of Canada negotiated in 1987 by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and all 10 Canadian provincial premiers. It was intended to persuade the gove ...

, a proposed amendment of the

Canadian constitution The Constitution of Canada (french: Constitution du Canada) is the supreme law in Canada. It outlines Canada's system of government and the civil and human rights of those who are citizens of Canada and non-citizens in Canada. Its contents a ...

Early life and education

Harper was born in

Red Sucker Lake Red Sucker Lake is a lake in the northeastern part of Manitoba, Canada, near its border with Ontario. It has a surface area of approximately . Adjacent to the lake is the Red Sucker Lake First Nation and the community of Red Sucker Lake, Manitoba ...

, a

reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US vi ...

in northern

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

. He attended residential schools in

Norway House Norway House is a population centre of over 5,000 people, some north of Lake Winnipeg, on the bank of the eastern channel of Nelson River, in the province of Manitoba, Canada. The population centre shares the name ''Norway House'' with the north ...

Brandon Brandon may refer to: Names and people *Brandon (given name), a male given name *Brandon (surname), a surname with several different origins Places Australia *Brandon, a farm and 19th century homestead in Seaham, New South Wales *Brandon, Q ...

and

Birtle, Manitoba Birtle is an unincorporated urban community in the Prairie View Municipality within the Canadian province of Manitoba that held town status prior to 1 January 2015. It is located at the junction of Highways 83 and 42. History Originall ...

, then secondary school at Garden Hill and

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

. He studied at the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.Manitoba Department of Northern Affairs.Elijah Harper Biography
/ref>

Political career

In 1978, he was elected as the Chief for Red Sucker Lake Band (now

Red Sucker Lake First Nation Red Sucker Lake (Oji-Cree: Mithkwamepin Thaakkahikan, ᒥᐢᑾᒣᐱᐣ ᓴᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ) is an Oji-Cree First Nation in Manitoba, Canada, located about northeast of Winnipeg. , the registered population was 1,067 of which 930 lived on their o ...

), a position he held for four years. In 1981, Harper contested and won the sprawling northern Manitoba riding of Rupertsland for the

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * t ...

(NDP) to become the first

Treaty Indian In Canada, a treaty Indian is an Indian who belongs to a band that is party to one of the eleven Numbered Treaties signed by Canada with various First Nations between 1871 and 1922.http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/Products/Reference/dict/po ...

to be elected as a provincial politician. He was re-elected in the

1986 Manitoba general election The 1986 Manitoba general election was held on March 18, 1986 to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It was won by the New Democratic Party of Manitoba, New Democratic Par ...

. On April 17, 1986, he was appointed to cabinet as a

Minister without Portfolio A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister who does not head a particular ministry. The sinecure is particularly common in countries ruled by coalition governments and a cabinet w ...

, responsible for Native Affairs. On February 4, 1987, he was named

minister of northern affairs The minister of northern affairs (french: ministre des Affaires du Nord) is a minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet. The position has been held by Dan Vandal since 20 November 2019. In 1953, the role of Minister of Northern Affairs and N ...

and minister in charge of the ''Communities Economic Fund Act''. Harper was dropped from the Cabinet on September 9, 1987, after being involved in a car accident while driving under the influence of alcohol. No one was injured in the incident. Harper subsequently pleaded guilty to refusing a breathalyzer test, leaving the scene of an accident and driving while impaired. He was fined $450, and his driver's licence was suspended for a year. Harper acknowledged his mistake, and entered an alcohol-rehabilitation program. He stopped drinking for good, and voluntarily stopped driving for five years. He was reappointed as minister of northern affairs and minister responsible for native affairs, on November 23, 1987, and served in that role until the defeat of

Howard Pawley Howard Russell Pawley (November 21, 1934 – December 30, 2015) was a Canadian politician and professor who was the 18th premier of Manitoba from 1981 to 1988. Prior to his premiership, Pawley served in various ministerial positions after his t ...

's government in 1988. He was again re-elected at the

1988 Manitoba general election The 1988 Manitoba general election was held on April 26, 1988 to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It resulted in a minority government. The Progressive Conservative Party won 25 seats, against 20 f ...

Role in Meech Lake Accord

In 1990, Harper achieved national fame for his refusal to accept the

, a constitutional amendment package negotiated to gain Quebec's acceptance of the ''

Constitution Act, 1982 The ''Constitution Act, 1982'' (french: link=no, Loi constitutionnelle de 1982) is a part of the Constitution of Canada.Formally enacted as Schedule B of the ''Canada Act 1982'', enacted by the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Section 60 of t ...

''. Under the Manitoba legislature's rules of the day, the legislature had to unanimously consent to a motion for emergency debate that would bring the Accord up for vote. Harper was displeased that the Accord had been negotiated in 1987 without the input of Canada's

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

. There were only twelve days before the ratification deadline for the Accord. Each day, the Manitoba government requested unanimous consent in the Assembly to consider the resolution. Each day, Harper, while holding an eagle feather, denied unanimous consent, so the resolution could not be debated. As a result,

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

premier Clyde Wells cancelled a proposed vote on the Accord in the General Assembly of Newfoundland. Since the Meech Lake Accord failed to pass in both Manitoba and Newfoundland, the constitution was not amended. The same year, he won the

Stanley Knowles Stanley Howard Knowles (June 18, 1908 – June 9, 1997) was a Canadian parliamentarian. Knowles represented the riding of Winnipeg North Centre from 1942 to 1958 on behalf of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) and again from 1 ...

Humanitarian Award, was voted as the "Newsmaker of the Year in Canada" by the

Canadian Press The Canadian Press (CP; french: La Presse canadienne, ) is a Canadian national news agency headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Established in 1917 as a vehicle for the time's Canadian newspapers to exchange news and information, The Canadian Pre ...

, was awarded the title of Honorary Chief for Life by Red Sucker Lake First Nation, and received a commemorative medal of Canada from the

governor general Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

for his efforts in public service. Harper also opposed the

Charlottetown Accord The Charlottetown Accord (french: Accord de Charlottetown) was a package of proposed amendments to the Constitution of Canada, proposed by the Canadian federal and provincial governments in 1992. It was submitted to a public referendum on October ...

in 1992.

Federal politics

Harper resigned from the Manitoba legislature on November 30, 1992 with the intention of running in the federal election due in 1993. He initially wanted to run for the federal New Democratic Party in the northern riding of

Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from 1 ...

. However, the NDP leadership rebuffed him because that riding's NDP incumbent,

Rod Murphy Rodney Edward "Rod" Murphy (born 16 October 1946 in Winnipeg, Manitoba) was a New Democratic Party member of the House of Commons of Canada. He was a teacher by profession. He represented the Manitoba riding of Churchill (electoral district), ...

, was not willing to stand down in Harper's favour. After considering offers from several parties, Harper agreed to join the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

in early 1993. He claimed that this change in party affiliation did not reflect a change in his principles; he intended to represent native interests in parliament, party lines notwithstanding. His presence in the Liberal Party was controversial, however; many former allies considered his decision misguided, and some Quebec Liberals did not want to be associated with the man who brought down Meech Lake. Harper defeated Murphy in the 1993 election. He was a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee of Aboriginal Affairs. He was defeated by New Democrat

Bev Desjarlais Beverly Faye Desjarlais (née Nowoselsky; August 19, 1955 – March 15, 2018) was a Canadian politician. She represented Churchill in the House of Commons of Canada from 1997 to 2006, initially as a New Democrat New Democrats, also know ...

in the 1997 election, and again in the 2000 election.

Later work

Elijah Harper was appointed commissioner of the

Indian Claims Commission The Indian Claims Commission was a judicial relations arbiter between the United States federal government and Native American tribes. It was established under the Indian Claims Act of 1946 by the United States Congress to hear any longstanding clai ...

on January 21, 1999, and remained in demand as a speaker until his death.

Legacy

For his work for his people, Harper received the

Humanitarian Award in 1991, and a

National Aboriginal Achievement Award The Indspire Awards, until 2012 the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards, are annual awards presented by Indspire in Canada. The awards are intended to celebrate and encourage excellence in the Aboriginal community. About The awards were fir ...

, now the Indspire Awards, in 1996. A film based on Harper's life focusing in particular on the month of June 1990, when Harper blocked the Manitoba legislature from voting on the Meech Lake Accord, was directed by Paul Unwin and played in 2007 at the

Vancouver International Film Festival The Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, for two weeks in late September and early October. The festival is operated by the Greater Vancouver International Film Fest ...

. The film, entitled ''

Elijah Elijah ( ; he, אֵלִיָּהוּ, ʾĒlīyyāhū, meaning "My God is Yahweh/YHWH"; Greek form: Elias, ''Elías''; syr, ܐܸܠܝܼܵܐ, ''Elyāe''; Arabic: إلياس or إليا, ''Ilyās'' or ''Ilyā''. ) was, according to the Books of ...

'', was produced for the

CTV Television Network The CTV Television Network, commonly known as CTV, is a Canadian English-language terrestrial television network. Launched in 1961 and acquired by BCE Inc. in 2000, CTV is Canada's largest privately owned television network and is now a divis ...

. It stars

Billy Merasty Billy Merasty (born 1960) is an Aboriginal Canadian actor and writer of Cree descent. Early life Merasty was born in Brochet, Manitoba, Canada. He is the ninth of fourteen siblings born to Viola and Pierre Merasty, and a grandson of Joe Highway, ...

in the title role.

Personal life and death

Harper had some personal controversy. Creditors as well as his ex-wife sued him for financial claims in 1991. Harper also had health problems. In the autumn of 1994 he had a mysterious illness doctors and native healers could not explain. On May 17, 2013, he died of heart failure due to complications from diabetes in Ottawa. "It is always very difficult to go against the wind, and to stand up straight and say no when the easier path is to give in and go in the direction of the wind. I will always remember the image of Elijah Harper's courage and determination and his profound conviction", stated Ghislain Picard, Chief of the

Assembly of the First Nations of Quebec and Labrador Assembly may refer to: Organisations and meetings * Deliberative assembly, a gathering of members who use parliamentary procedure for making decisions * General assembly, an official meeting of the members of an organization or of their representa ...

. On May 20, 2013, Harper's open casket was draped with the

flag of Manitoba The flag of Manitoba consists of a Red Ensign defaced with the shield of the provincial coat of arms. Adopted in 1965 shortly after the new national flag was inaugurated, it has been the flag of the province since May 12 of the followi ...

as he lay in state at the

Manitoba Legislative Building The Manitoba Legislative Building (french: Palais législatif du Manitoba), originally named the Manitoba Parliament Building, is the meeting place of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, located in central Winnipeg, as well as being the twelfth pr ...

in Winnipeg where hundreds of supporters filed through to pay their respects. A funeral service took place later that day at the Glory and Peace Church in Winnipeg. Harper was buried at Red Sucker Lake First Nation.

Electoral history

References

External links

*
Elijah Harper - Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Harper, Elijah 1949 births 2013 deaths 20th-century First Nations people Canadian Protestants First Nations politicians Indigenous leaders in Manitoba Indigenous Members of the House of Commons of Canada Indspire Awards Liberal Party of Canada MPs Members of the Executive Council of Manitoba Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Manitoba Members of the Order of Manitoba New Democratic Party of Manitoba MLAs Oji-Cree people People from Northern Region, Manitoba