Ethel Dorothy Blondin-Andrew (born 25 March 1951) is a Canadian politician, educator, and public servant. She became the first
Indigenous
Indigenous may refer to:
*Indigenous peoples
*Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention
*Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band
*Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...
woman to be elected to the
Parliament of Canada in 1988 when she became 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 o ...
for the district of
Western Arctic
Northwest Territories (french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest) is a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada. The electoral district covers the entire territory.
This riding was created in 1962 from Mackenzie Riv ...
in the
Northwest Territories. She is also the first Indigenous woman to be a
Canadian Cabinet Minister.
Early life
Blondin-Andrew was born 25 March 1951 in
Tulita
Tulita, which in Slavey means "where the rivers or waters meet," is a hamlet in the Sahtu Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. It was formerly known as ''Fort Norman'', until 1 January 1996. It is located at the junction of the Great Be ...
,
Northwest Territories.
She is a
Dene
The Dene people () are an indigenous group of First Nations who inhabit the northern boreal and Arctic regions of Canada. The Dene speak Northern Athabaskan languages. ''Dene'' is the common Athabaskan word for "people". The term "Dene" ha ...
woman.
In 1959, she was sent to Grollier Hall in
Inuvik, a
residential school. She left the school to live in a tent town with other runaway students. When she was twelve, she went to the hospital for back surgery and discovered that she was ill with
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...
.
After she recovered, she moved to
Délı̨nę
The Charter Community of Délı̨nę (North Slavey: ) is located in the Sahtu Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada, on the western shore of Great Bear Lake and is northwest of Yellowknife. Délı̨nę means "where the waters flow", a ref ...
with her parents, where a local priest wrote her a recommendation letter for Grandin College, a leadership school in
Fort Smith, which accepted her application.
She received a
B.Ed from the
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a Public university, public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexande ...
in 1974, specialising in linguistics and literacy. In 1984, she became National Manager of the Indigenous Development Participation Programme which was run by the
Canadian Public Service. She was appointed executive director two years later.
Political career
In 1986, she became Assistant Deputy Minister of Culture for the Northwest Territories. In this role, she became involved in the
Assembly of First Nations
The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) is an assembly of Canadian First Nations (Indian bands) represented by their chiefs. Established in 1982 and modelled on the United Nations General Assembly, it emerged from the National Indian Brotherhood, ...
Aboriginal Language Foundation and the North American Language Institute. She was approached to run for the Territorial Council of the Northwest Territories but instead she ran to be
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 o ...
for the
Western Arctic
Northwest Territories (french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest) is a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada. The electoral district covers the entire territory.
This riding was created in 1962 from Mackenzie Riv ...
in the
1988 federal election.
She won and while an MP, she became 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 ...
's
Assistant Critic for employment equity and Aboriginal affairs.
She also served as chair of the Northern and Western Caucus and the Caucus Committee on Aboriginal Affairs, and as a member of the Special Joint Committee on a Renewed Canada, the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs, the Standing Committee on Northern Development, and the Standing Committee on Electoral Reform.
She gave her first speech in the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...
in the
Dene language
Athabaskan (also spelled ''Athabascan'', ''Athapaskan'' or ''Athapascan'', and also known as Dene) is a large family of indigenous languages of North America, located in western North America in three areal language groups: Northern, Pacific C ...
.
Following the
1993 federal election, the Liberal Party became the majority party and when
Jean Chrétien became Prime Minister, Blondin-Andrew was appointed
Secretary of State for Training and Youth on 4 November 1993.
She helped create both Youth Service Canada and the Youth Employment Strategy. On 10 August 1998, she was elected chair for the Main Committee of the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth in
Lisbon.
On 11 June 1997, she became Secretary of State (Children and Youth).
When
Paul Martin
Paul Edgar Philippe Martin (born August 28, 1938), also known as Paul Martin Jr., is a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 21st prime minister of Canada and the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada from 2003 to 2006.
The son o ...
succeed Jean Chrétien as Prime Minister, he appointed Blondin-Andrew as
Minister of State (Children and Youth) on December 12, 2003. She served in this role until 20 July 2004, when she became
Minister of State (Northern Development).
She was re-elected in the
2004 federal election by a razor-thin margin of 53 votes, and was voted out of office in the
2006 federal election, after 17 years of service.
In 2001, her work for Aboriginal communities was formally recognized by
Brock University
Brock University is a public research university in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. It is the only university in Canada in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, at the centre of Canada's Niagara Peninsula on the Niagara Escarpment. The university bears t ...
, who awarded her an honorary doctorate. She was also awarded a
Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal
The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (french: Médaille du jubilé de diamant de la reine Elizabeth II) or The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2012 to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's ...
by the Governor General of Canada in 2012. She also received the 2019 ''
Maclean's
''Maclean's'', founded in 1905, is a Canadian news magazine reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian persp ...
'' Lifetime Achievement Award given to former MPs.
Later career
Blondin-Andrew was the Chair of Sahtu Secretarial Incorporated from 2009 until September 2018. She currently works with the Indigenous Leadership Initiative.
Personal life
Blondin-Andrew currently lives in
Norman Wells
Norman Wells (Slavey language: ''Tłegǫ́hłı̨'' "where there is oil") is a town located in the Sahtu Region, Northwest Territories, Canada, settled about 140 km (87 mi) south of the Arctic Circle. The town, which hosts the Sahtu Regional o ...
.
She is married to Leon Andrew and has four children and four grandchildren.
See also
*
Notable Aboriginal people of Canada
Over the course of centuries, many Indigenous Canadians have played a critical role in shaping the history of Canada. From art and music, to law and government, to sports and war; Indigenous customs and culture have had a strong influences on ...
Select publications
Live your dreams: by following our vision, aboriginals are changing perceptions and inspiring others. Aboriginal Voices. 6:15 July/Aug. 1999
Electoral history
External links
How'd They Vote?: Ethel Blondin-Andrew's voting history and quotes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blondin-Andrew, Ethel
1951 births
Living people
20th-century Canadian women politicians
21st-century Canadian women politicians
20th-century First Nations people
21st-century First Nations people
Dene people
Indigenous Members of the House of Commons of Canada
First Nations women in politics
Liberal Party of Canada MPs
Members of the 26th Canadian Ministry
Members of the 27th Canadian Ministry
Members of the House of Commons of Canada from the Northwest Territories
Women government ministers of Canada
Women in Northwest Territories politics
Women members of the House of Commons of Canada
Officers of the Order of Canada