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 d ...
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 gen ...
(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 o ...
(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 gov ...
, 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 ar ...
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
, image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg
, map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada
, Label_map = yes
, coordinates =
, capital = Winn ...
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 ...
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, ...
. 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 language, Oji-Cree: Mithkwamepin Thaakkahikan, ᒥᐢᑾᒣᐱᐣ ᓴᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ) is an Oji-Cree First Nations in Canada, First Nation in Manitoba, Canada, located about northeast of Winnipeg. , the registered popula ...
), 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 (NDP) to become the first Treaty Indian to be elected as a provincial politician. He was re-elected in the 1986 Manitoba general election. On April 17, 1986, he was appointed to cabinet as a Minister without Portfolio, responsible for Native Affairs. On February 4, 1987, he was named minister of northern affairs 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 ...
'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
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 gov ...
, 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 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, 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 ...
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. However, the NDP leadership rebuffed him because that riding's NDP incumbent, Rod Murphy, 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 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
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 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 fi ...
, 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 El (deity), God is Yahweh/YHWH"; Greek form: Elias, ''Elías''; syr, ܐܸܠܝܼܵܐ, ''Elyāe''; Arabic language, Arabic: إلياس or إليا, ''Ilyās'' or ''Ilyā''. ) w ...
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.
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.