Willie Littlechild

Willie Littlechild, also known as J. Wilton Littlechild or Wilton Littlechild, (born April 1, 1944) is a Cree Canadian lawyer and former Member of Parliament. He was born in Maskwacis, Alberta.

History

As a young man, Wilton Littlechild was a successful athlete who won ten Athlete of the Year Awards. He obtained a master's degree in physical education from the University of Alberta. He later became the first Treaty Indian from Alberta to obtain a law degree. He won the national Tom Longboat Award in 1967 and 1974,[1] and was one of the founders of the North American Indigenous Games, begun in 1990 in Edmonton Alberta. He has also consistently advocated for the creation of the World Indigenous Games, which would provide competitive events for Indigenous athletes from around the world.

Littlechild was the Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament for Wetaskiwin from 1988 to 1993.[2] Littlechild did not stand for reelection in the 1993 general election. Since leaving Parliament, Littlechild has continued to be involved in politics. He was the founder of the International Organization of Indigenous Resource Development, a United Nations non-governmental organization.

Littlechild is a member of the Ermineskin Cree Nation. The Indian Association of Alberta presents the Willie Littlechild Achievement Award to six First Nations students each year.

In 2006, Littlechild was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award of the Canadian Association of Former Parliamentarians,[3] awarded for "outstanding contributions to the promotion and understanding of Canada's parliamentary system of government".[4]

References

  1. ↑ Forsyth, Janice. Defining the Tom Longboat Awards, 1951-2001. PhD dissertation, University of Western Ontario, 2005, p. 10.
  2. ↑ Parliament of Canada, Profile of Wilton Littlechild. Retrieved 2011-03-19.
  3. ↑ Canadian Association of Former Parliamentarians, Remarks of J. Wilton Littlechild in the Senate of Canada, June 5, 2006, on the occasion of receipt of the Distinguished Service Award, Canadian Association of Former Parliamentarians. Retrieved 2011-03-19.
  4. ↑ Canadian Association of Former Parliamentarians, Distinguished Service Award. Retrieved 2011-03-19.

See also

Parliament of Canada
Preceded by
Kenneth Schellenberger		 Member of Parliament Wetaskiwin
1988-1993 		Succeeded by
Dale Johnston


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