Lawrence Riel Yew (January 17, 1942 – April 18, 1998) was a trapper, fisherman and political figure in

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

. He represented

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...

from 1982 to 1986 in the

Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan The Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan is the legislative chamber of the Saskatchewan Legislature in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. Bills passed by the assembly are given royal assent by the Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, in the na ...

as a

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) member. Yew was the first aboriginal MLA elected in Saskatchewan. He was born in

Beauval, Saskatchewan Beauval, Saskatchewan is a northern village located in Northern Saskatchewan, near Lac Île-à-la-Crosse. It was founded in the early 20th century as a Roman Catholic mission and as a transportation centre. Highway 165 goes through the communi ...

. He served as administrator for

Pinehouse Pinehouse is a northern village located in the boreal forest of Saskatchewan on the western shore of Pinehouse Lake within the Canadian Shield. Travelling by road from Pinehouse, the Key Lake mine is 223 km (138 miles) north, Prince Albe ...

. Yew was executive assistant to the minister of the Department of Northern Saskatchewan. He served as a municipal councillor in

northern Saskatchewan The regional designations vary widely within the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. With a total land area of 651,036 square kilometres (251,366 sq mi), Saskatchewan is crossed by major rivers such as the Churchill and Saskatchewan and exists mo ...

before entering provincial politics. In 1964, he married Victoria Elizabeth Iron. He died at the age of 56 in 1998.

References

Saskatchewan New Democratic Party MLAs 1942 births 1998 deaths Canadian Métis people {{Saskatchewan-politician-stub