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Elijah Harper Facts & Worksheets

Elijah Harper is an Oji-Cree politician, policy analyst, and consultant. Harper is well-known for the role he played in scuttling the Meech Lake Accord.

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Elijah Harper is an Oji-Cree politician, policy analyst, and consultant. Harper is well-known for the role he played in scuttling the Meech Lake Accord. With this, he was named as the Canadian Press Newsmaker of the Year in 1990.

See the fact file below for more information on the Elijah Harper or alternatively, you can download our 24-page Elijah Harper worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

BIOGRAPHY

  • Elijah Harper, an Oji-Cree politician, was born on March 3, 1949, in Red Sucker Lake, Manitoba, Canada. He was born in an Oji-Cree family and community about 700 kilometers to the north of Winnipeg.
  • Oji-Cree is a First Nation that was located in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba. They are considered to be indigenous people that were residing in a narrow band that extends from the Missinaibi River region.
  • Like several Aboriginal children of Harper’s generation, he was also forced to be removed from his family at a very young age and sent to gain an education in residential schools. Harper got his education in Norway House, Brandon, and Birtle, Manitoba.
  • For his secondary education, Harper attended Garden Hill, Winnipeg. For his college degree, Harper attended the University of Manitoba, where he became friends with Ovide Mercredi and Phil Fontaine in the early 1970s.
  • Both of his friends later became the National Chiefs of the Assembly of First Nations.
  • Harper left the University of Manitoba and became a community development worker and researcher for the Manitoba Indian Brotherhood. Later, he served as a program analyst for the Department of Northern Affairs until 1978, when he was elected as the chief of the Red Sucker Lake Indian Band, which is now referred to as the Red Sucker Lake First Nation.

PROVINCIAL POLITICS

  • In 1981, Harper decided to enter provincial politics, and he ran for elections as MLA, or Member of the Legislative Assembly, for the New Democratic Party (NDP) for the Rupertsland constituency.
  • Harper won the election and became the first Aboriginal person to take a position in the Manitoba legislature. He maintained this position for the next eleven years.
  • In 1986, Harper decided to join the Cabinet as Minister Without Portfolio Responsible for Native Affairs. Harper resigned from this position in September 1987 after being involved in a minor car accident while under the influence of alcohol.
  • A few months after his resignation, Harper was again appointed to become a cabinet member as the Minister of Northern Affairs for Manitoba.
  • A few months after his resignation, Harper was again appointed to become a cabinet member as the Minister of Northern Affairs for Manitoba.
  • In 1990, as the opposition member in the Manitoba Legislature, Harper opposed the Meech Lake Accord, a Canadian Constitutional Amendment.
  • Harper initiated several procedural delays in the Manitoba legislature that threatened to extend the voting beyond June 23, 1990, which was the deadline selected for the approval of the accord.
  • Gary Filmon, the Manitoba Premier, needed all the Legislative Assembly members to approve the procedure for authorizing the accord. Harper refused to give his consent eight separate times because he stated that First Nations had not been recognized and consulted in the Meech Lake Accord’s constitutional discussions.
  • On June 22 of the same year, when the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba adjourned, it had not voted on the accord. In response to Harper’s initiative, Clyde Wells refused to take a vote in Newfoundland, arguing that the situation in Manitoba made it irrelevant.
  • Thus, the deadline for the accord had passed without it being approved, and it collapsed. Harper stated that Aboriginal people should also be recognized for creating a distinct society within Canada.
  • Harper became well-known and made headlines across the country. The Canadian Press voted him as the Newsmaker of the Year for 1990. Later that year, he also won the Stanley Knowles Humanitarian Award, which is the same award given to Africa’s Nelson Mandela.
  • In 1990, Harper earned the title of Honorary Chief for Life by the Red Sucker Lake First Nation and received the commemorative medal of Canada from the Governor-General for his dedication and work in public service.

HARPER IN FEDERAL POLITICS

  • In 1993, Harped decided to enter federal politics, and he was elected as the Liberal candidate for the riding of Churchill. He served as the Member of the Parliament for Churchill until 1997.
  • In 1999, Harper was appointed as a commissioner of the Indian Claims Commission. While doing this, Harper continued to support several initiatives that helped improve the lives of First Nations people.
  • Harper also helped humanitarian and charitable causes for several places and communities outside of his country.

INTERNATIONAL WORKS

  • Harper was involved in many works outside his country that took him to Great Britain, the International Court of Justice at The Hague, South Africa, the European Parliament, South America (particularly Brazil and Chile), and several places in the United States.
  • In 1992, Harper attended the launching of the International Decade for Indigenous People at the United Nations in New York, and he attended the Declaration of International Indigenous Day in the same city in 1997.
  • In 1996, Harper went to the Moral Rearmament Jubilee Anniversary in Caux, Switzerland, and attended several Reconciliations in both Australia and New Zealand. After these, Harper continued to be a strong advocate for indigenous people and human rights.

DEATH AND PUBLIC RESPONSE

  • Harper died in Ottawa on May 17, 2013, due to cardiac failure caused by complications from diabetes. His body was laid to rest in the state of Manitoba legislature, and hundreds of people lined up and paid their respects to the man who said “no” – the man who valued the rights of every person, including the Indigenous people.

Elijah Harper Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Elijah Harper across 24 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Elijah Harper worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Elijah Harper who is an Oji-Cree politician, policy analyst, and consultant. Harper is well-known for the role he played in scuttling the Meech Lake Accord. With this, he was named as the Canadian Press Newsmaker of the Year in 1990.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Elijah Harper Facts
  • Harper’s Profile Writing
  • A Politician’s Timeline
  • The Man Who Said “No”
  • The Jumbled Accord
  • The Questions of Harper
  • Filling the Legislative
  • Fact or Bluff
  • The Achievements
  • “Elijah”
  • Meech Lake Headline

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Use With Any Curriculum

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