Wendy Grant-John, née Wendy Sparrow, is a prominent First Nations leader in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. She served three terms as chief of the

Musqueam First Nation The Musqueam Indian Band ( ; hur, xʷməθkʷəy̓əm ) is a First Nations in Canada, First Nations band government in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is the only First Nations band whose reserve community lies within the boundari ...

and was the first woman elected regional vice-chief of 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, wh ...

Early life and education

She is the daughter of former Musqueam chief Willard Sparrow and sister of Gail Sparrow. Grant-John also has two other sisters named Debra and Robyn Sparrow who are Indigenous weavers.

Career

In 1997 Grant-John came in second to

Phil Fontaine Larry Phillip Fontaine, (born September 20, 1944) is an Indigenous Canadian leader. He completed his third and final term as National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations in 2009. Early life Fontaine, an Ojibwe, was born at the Sagkeeng Firs ...

in the election for National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations. That year, she also enrolled in the

University of Northern British Columbia The University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) is a small, research-intensive public university in British Columbia, Canada. The main campus is located in Prince George, with additional campuses located in Prince Rupert, Terrace, Quesnel, and ...

. From 1997 until 2000 she served as Associate Regional Director-General of the

Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military * Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

for British Columbia. She was the first woman elected Regional Chief to the Assembly of First Nations. Grant-John has been involved in the development and operation of several businesses. As Musqueam chief, she helped to create the first aboriginal commercial fishery in Canada and was a founder of Musqueam Weavers, a company that revitalized the local tradition of weaving. She was also a founding member and director of the Aboriginal Healing Commission in 1998. Grant-John has served as a lay

bencher A bencher or Master of the Bench is a senior member of an Inn of Court in England and Wales or the Inns of Court in Northern Ireland, or the Honorable Society of King's Inns in Ireland. Benchers hold office for life once elected. A bencher can ...

of the Law Society of British Columbia and as a Commissioner of the Pacific Salmon Commission. As well, in 2006, she was appointed the Minister of Indian Affairs and named Assembly of First Nations Commission Co-Chair. In 2011, she joined the National Aboriginal Client Services Practice. In 2017, Grant-John was one of five people appointed by the Liberal government to come up with recommendations to reform the National Energy Board. Two years later, she was appointed a member of Vancouver Police Board.

Awards

Grant-John received the YWCA Woman of Distinction Award for Social Action in 2001, an honorary Doctor of Laws from

Royal Roads University Royal Roads University (also referred to as RRU or Royal Roads) is a public university with its main campus in Colwood, British Columbia. It is located at Hatley Park National Historic Site on Vancouver Island. Following the decommissioning of Ro ...

in 2003, 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, for Community Development in 2006. In the fall of 2011 she received another honorary doctorate from

Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a public research university in British Columbia, Canada, with three campuses, all in Greater Vancouver: Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, and Vancouver. The main Burnaby campus on Burnaby Mountain, located from ...

Personal life

Grant-John is married to

Edward John Edward John (born July 8, 1949) is a prominent First Nations in Canada, First Nations political leader in Canada. Early life The son of Louis and Amelia John, he was born in the Dakelh, Carrier village of Tachie, British Columbia, Tachie, along ...

and has four children from her previous marriage to Howard Grant.

References

Bibliography

Indian Affairs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grant-John, Wendy First Nations women in politics Living people Indigenous leaders in British Columbia Indspire Awards Year of birth missing (living people)