Wilton (Willie) Littlechild

 

Chief Wilton Littlechild has exemplified tremendous leadership throughout his career as he worked tirelessly to promote human rights, in particular those of Indigenous Peoples. Maintaining a successful law practice on the Ermineskin Reserve in Alberta since 1977, he has travelled extensively, and successfully engaged in many activities on the national and international stage. He was the first Treaty Indian Member of Parliament, representing the riding of Wetaskiwin, Alberta, (1988 to 1993). More recently, he was one of the commissioners for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada.  He currently chairs an Interim Board of Directors for the new National Council for Reconciliation, an “independent, national oversight body” to act as a watchdog, holding governments and society to account on reconciliation goals, monitoring and reporting on progress and promoting dialogue. 

 

Beyond Canada, Willie Littlechild has been a pioneer within and for the global Indigenous rights movement, He has worked diligently for more than 30 years on economic, social, cultural, civil, political and spiritual rights at the UN. He was actively engaged in the process leading to the adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007); has served as a North American representative to the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, and as Chair of the UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous People.  

 

Willie Littlechild ’s numerous wise contributions to the fabric of society in support of his People and of us all, as we find new ways to share our lands, traditions and aspirations, have given us hope and confidence as together we look toward to the future.