Commissioner Littlechild speaking on campus

Nipissing University welcomes Commissioner Wilton Littlechild to campus for a special lecture examining the issues of Indigenous rights both in Canada and internationally. Titled, Indigenous Rights, International Relations and TRCs, it takes place on April 17 from 7 – 8:30 p.m. in the Weaver Auditorium (B200).
The lecture is organized by the Nipissing Branch of the Canadian International Council (CIC), Nipissing University, and the university’s Office of Aboriginal Initiatives. 

This event is free of charge and all are welcome.

In 1976, Chief Wilton Littlechild became the first Treaty First Nation person to receive a law degree from the University of Alberta. He also holds Bachelor and Master’s degrees in Physical Education, an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Alberta, and the Indigenous Peoples’ Counsel (IPC) designation.

Chief Littlechild is a dedicated advocate of the implementation of treaties between Aboriginal peoples and the Crown, and a pioneer of the global Indigenous rights movement. He worked on both the United Nations Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Organization of American States Draft Americas Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. In 2001, he chaired the Commission on First National and Métis Peoples and Justice Reform in Saskatchewan. The Chiefs of the Confederacy of Treaty 6 First Nations appointed him International Chief for Treaty 6. He was elected in 2006 as Regional Chief of Treaties 6, 7 and 8 in Alberta.

In 1988, Chief Littlechild became the first Treaty Indian Member of Parliament in Canada, serving five years. He has won more than 50 provincial, regional, national and international championships, was a founder of the North American Indigenous games, was inducted into the seven Sports Walls of Fame, and was selected as a torchbearer for the 2010 Olympics.

The Canadian International Council is a non-partisan, non-profit organisation dedicated to fostering the engagement of Canadians in Canadian foreign policy and in international issues generally.

For more information about this event or the Canadian International Council please contact John Allison at 705-474-3450 ext 4582 or johna@nipissingu.ca.