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Perry Bellegarde
Perry Bellegarde SOM (born August 29, 1962; Little Black Bear First Nation) is a Canadian First Nations advocate and politician who served as National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations from December 10, 2014, to July 8, 2021. He had previously served as chief of the Little Black Bear First Nation, chief of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, and as the Saskatchewan regional chief of the Assembly of First Nations.
Born in 1961 at the Fort Qu'Appelle Indian Hospital in Fort Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan, he was raised on the Little Black Bear Indian reserve. He attended elementary and secondary schools in the nearby towns of Goodeve and Balcarres. After high school he attended the Saskatchewan Federated Indian College (now the First Nations University of Canada). Later he studied business administration at the University of Regina.
Following graduation, he worked as director of personnel for the Indian Institute of Technologies.
In 1986 Bellegarde became active in tribal politics, and was elected to the Touchwood–File Hills–Qu’Appelle Tribal Council. In 1988 he was elected to the Presidency of that council, and he began an initiative to transfer management of the government's Fort Qu’Appelle Indian Hospital to First Nations control. In addition, he initiated and implemented the establishment of a new urban service delivery centre for First Nations people in the city of Regina.
Bellegarde has been recognized numerous times for his work as a First Nations leader. He has been awarded the Canada 125 Medal, the Saskatchewan Centennial Medal, and the Queen's Golden and Diamond Jubilee Medals. In 2018, the Province of Saskatchewan honored Bellegarde with the Saskatchewan Order of Merit (SOM).
In May 1998, Bellegarde became Chief of the province-wide Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations. In this role, he was automatically a regional vice-chair from Saskatchewan in the Assembly of First Nations (AFN). He served in this role until 2003.
Later he was reelected to another term in the position in 2012. In this role, he endorsed Neil Young's Honour the Treaties fundraising concert tour in 2014, which raised funds for the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation's legal fight against exploitation of the Athabasca oil sands.
Given his experience, Bellegarde was a strong candidate for National Chief in the AFN's 2009 leadership election. On the eighth ballot, he was defeated by Shawn Atleo (Ahousaht First Nation); for six ballots the two candidates were virtually tied. He did not run in the 2012 election, in which Atleo won a second term.
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Perry Bellegarde
Perry Bellegarde SOM (born August 29, 1962; Little Black Bear First Nation) is a Canadian First Nations advocate and politician who served as National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations from December 10, 2014, to July 8, 2021. He had previously served as chief of the Little Black Bear First Nation, chief of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, and as the Saskatchewan regional chief of the Assembly of First Nations.
Born in 1961 at the Fort Qu'Appelle Indian Hospital in Fort Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan, he was raised on the Little Black Bear Indian reserve. He attended elementary and secondary schools in the nearby towns of Goodeve and Balcarres. After high school he attended the Saskatchewan Federated Indian College (now the First Nations University of Canada). Later he studied business administration at the University of Regina.
Following graduation, he worked as director of personnel for the Indian Institute of Technologies.
In 1986 Bellegarde became active in tribal politics, and was elected to the Touchwood–File Hills–Qu’Appelle Tribal Council. In 1988 he was elected to the Presidency of that council, and he began an initiative to transfer management of the government's Fort Qu’Appelle Indian Hospital to First Nations control. In addition, he initiated and implemented the establishment of a new urban service delivery centre for First Nations people in the city of Regina.
Bellegarde has been recognized numerous times for his work as a First Nations leader. He has been awarded the Canada 125 Medal, the Saskatchewan Centennial Medal, and the Queen's Golden and Diamond Jubilee Medals. In 2018, the Province of Saskatchewan honored Bellegarde with the Saskatchewan Order of Merit (SOM).
In May 1998, Bellegarde became Chief of the province-wide Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations. In this role, he was automatically a regional vice-chair from Saskatchewan in the Assembly of First Nations (AFN). He served in this role until 2003.
Later he was reelected to another term in the position in 2012. In this role, he endorsed Neil Young's Honour the Treaties fundraising concert tour in 2014, which raised funds for the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation's legal fight against exploitation of the Athabasca oil sands.
Given his experience, Bellegarde was a strong candidate for National Chief in the AFN's 2009 leadership election. On the eighth ballot, he was defeated by Shawn Atleo (Ahousaht First Nation); for six ballots the two candidates were virtually tied. He did not run in the 2012 election, in which Atleo won a second term.