SENATORS’ STATEMENTS — Chief Wilton Littlechild, C.C., A.O.E., M.S.C., K.C.

Honourable senators, today I have the privilege to rise and honour Chief Wilton Littlechild, whose life’s work has illuminated the paths toward justice, healing and reconciliation. For decades, Dr. Littlechild has been a tireless advocate for Indigenous rights and a voice of wisdom on the world stage.

He became the first status person from Alberta to obtain a law degree, and the Cree Nation honoured his accomplishment by naming him international chief.

Dr. Littlechild understood that education and law could be powerful tools for change. However, I suspect his heart was and still remains with hockey and sport. As one of the original architects of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, he spent more than 30 years working at the UN, shaping global conversations on the inalienable human rights of Indigenous peoples.

During our nation’s debate to patriate our Constitution, he travelled to England to argue before the courts until there were guarantees that section 35 would be included in the Constitution. His efforts, along with those of many others, would eventually lay the groundwork for the recognition of many Indigenous rights in Canada.

In 1988, he became the first treaty Indian to be elected to the House of Commons, serving as the Progressive Conservative member of Parliament for Wetaskiwin from 1988 to 1993. While he did not seek re-election, he continued his lifelong public service. In Saskatchewan, he chaired the Commission on First Nations and Métis Peoples and Justice Reform. He shone a light on the overrepresentation of Indigenous peoples in the criminal justice system, and he laid a path to improve the justice system so that it reflects the strengths and values of Indigenous peoples.

As a survivor of the colonial residential school system, Chief Littlechild knew the horrors of those institutions. As one of the commissioners of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, he bore witness to the painful testimonies of residential school survivors. He turned his own experience and the stories of many Indigenous peoples into powerful Calls to Action for Canadians from all walks of life to confront the dark chapters of our shared history. The 94 Calls to Action became a roadmap for healing and reconciliation.

Last week, the Governor General recognized Chief Littlechild’s life’s work and promoted him to Companion of the Order of Canada.

There is much to say about his life and career, but I want to end with a quote that he shared from his late grandfather:

When you work for our community, you must do everything you can to make it better, then pass it to the next one. . . .

Willie, you have truly made this world a better place for future generations.

Hiy hiy.