Ovide William Mercredi (born January 30, 1946) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

. He is Cree and a former National 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, ...

. He is also the former president of the

Manitoba New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party of Manitoba (french: Nouveau Parti démocratique du Manitoba) is a social-democratic political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is the provincial wing of the federal New Democratic Party, and is a successor to the Manitoba ...

Early life and career

A Cree, Ovide Mercredi lived outside the reservation because his mother was stripped of her Indian status when she married a Métis (a person of mixed indigenous and European descent
7
Mercredi attended 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.native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

students' association formed in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. He was elected Regional Chief of the Assembly of First Nations for

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 ...

in 1989. Mercredi had specialized in constitutional law, and became a key strategist for the Assembly during the time 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 ...

constitutional reform discussions. He also had a strong leadership role in resolving the

Oka Crisis The Oka Crisis (french: links=no, Crise d'Oka), also known as the Kanehsatà:ke Resistance (), was a land dispute between a group of Mohawk people and the town of Oka, Quebec, Canada, which began on July 11, 1990, and lasted 78 days until Septe ...

. Mercredi was elected as National Chief for the Assembly of First Nations, the national political body representing over 600

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 ...

chiefs across Canada. During his first term, Mercredi played a major role in 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 ...

constitutional discussions. He was re-elected as National Chief in 1994, and served until 1997. As National Chief, Mercredi addressed the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

in both

Geneva , neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier , website = https://www.geneve.ch/ Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevr ...

and New York. He also led a Canadian delegation to the troubled area of the Mexican state of Chiapas. In addition to serving as a lawyer and politician, Mercredi is a noted author. He co-wrote, with Justice Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, the 1993 book ''In The Rapids: Navigating the Future of First Nations''. Mercredi is an advocate of non-violent methods for change and has been nominated by the Government of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

for the

Gandhi Peace Prize The International Gandhi Peace Prize, named after Mahatma Gandhi, is awarded annually by the Government of India. As a tribute to the ideals espoused by Gandhi, the Government of India launched the International Gandhi Peace Prize in 1995 on t ...

. He has also received honorary law degrees from Saint Mary's University, Cape Breton University and

Bishop's University Bishop's University (french: Université Bishop's) is a small English-language liberal arts university in Lennoxville, a borough of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. The founder of the institution was the Anglican Bishop of Quebec, George Mountain, w ...

Career since his national chiefship

In April 2005, Mercredi announced he would challenge Bev Desjarlais for the New Democratic Party nomination in the riding of

Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from 1 ...

for the next federal election, but he later withdrew his candidacy. In May 2007, Mercredi along with his fellow Manitoba chiefs began seeking compensation from Manitoba Telecom Services for every cellphone signal that passes through First Nations land, saying the airspace should be considered a resource like land and water. Mercredi was quoted as saying, "When it comes to using airspace, it's like using our water and simply because there's no precedent doesn't mean that it's not the right thing to do." He is the former chancellor of

University College of the North University College of the North (UCN) is a post-secondary institution located in Northern Manitoba, Canada. UCN has a student body of approximately 2,400 annually, and a staff of approximately 400. The Chancellor of UCN is Edwin Jebb. History ...

in northern Manitoba, and delivered his inaugural address at a ceremony on November 6, 2007. On June 12, 2009, Ovide Mercredi received an honorary

Doctor of Letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Docto ...

degree from Athabasca University.''Edmonton Journal'', page B4, June 12, 2009 Mercredi became Chief of the

Misipawistik Cree Nation Misipawistik Cree Nation (MCN; formerly Grand Rapids First Nation, Cree: ᒥᓯ ᐹᐏᐢᑎᐠ misi-pâwistik, ''meaning: at the big rapids'') is a Cree community in northern Manitoba. ''Misipawistik'' in the local Cree language means 'Rushing R ...

and served his community from 2005 to 2011. In 2012, Mercredi endorsed

Sheila Copps Sheila Maureen Copps (born November 27, 1952) is a former Canadian politician who also served as the sixth deputy prime minister of Canada from November 4, 1993, to April 30, 1996, and June 19, 1996, to June 11, 1997. Her father, Victor Copps, ...

' bid for the presidency of the Liberal Party of Canada. In 2013, Ovide Mercredi received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Manitoba. He was elected president of the

on March 7, 2015. While now the president of a political party, he has previously publicly questioned the utility of voting. Mercredi, at the age of 72, announced that he would step down from his position. On October 22, 2015, Ovide Mercredi launched his book of poetry called ''My Silent Drum'' published by Aboriginal Issues Press. All proceeds of the book will go towards a scholarship for an indigenous student at the University of Manitoba.

References

7.https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ovide-Mercredi {{DEFAULTSORT:Mercredi, Ovide 1946 births Assembly of First Nations chiefs Cree people Living people Members of the Order of Manitoba Robson Hall alumni Canadian political party presidents New Democratic Party of Manitoba politicians Political office-holders of Indigenous governments in Canada First Nations lawyers 20th-century Canadian lawyers 21st-century Canadian lawyers Lawyers in Manitoba Officers of the Order of Canada Politicians from Winnipeg

Early life and career

Career since his national chiefship

See also

References