Walter "Wally" Firth (born January 25, 1935) is a former Canadian politician.
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Métis
The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United States. They have a shared history and culture which derives ...
, Firth was the first Native politician from the North to win a seat in the
House of Commons of Canada
The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada.
The House of Common ...
. He served as 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:
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Member of Parliament for the
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...
during the 1970s. He was first elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the
1972 federal election and re-elected in
1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...
. He did not run for re-election in 1979, but attempted to return to the House of Commons in the
1980 election. He was defeated in the riding of
Western Arctic.
In private life, Firth had various careers as an airplane pilot, flying instructor, broadcaster and fur trader. He was also active as a Native rights advocate.
Firth made another attempt to return to the House of Commons in the
1997 federal election, this time running as an
Independent in Western Arctic, but was again unsuccessful.
Firth subsequently returned to the New Democratic Party attempting to win the party's nomination in
Yukon for the
2004 election but was unsuccessful.
Electoral history
References
External links
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1935 births
Living people
Members of the House of Commons of Canada from the Northwest Territories
New Democratic Party MPs
First Nations politicians
Métis politicians
Canadian Métis people
Indigenous Members of the House of Commons of Canada
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