Leonard Marchand

Leonard Stephen "Len" Marchand (November 16, 1933 – June 3, 2016) was a Canadian politician. He was the first person of First Nations status to serve in the federal cabinet, after being the first Status Indian elected and serving as a Member of Parliament. He served as Parliamentary Secretary, Minister of State, Minister of the Environment and Senator.

Early life Marchand was born in Vernon, British Columbia on November 16, 1933. He went on to graduate from the University of British Columbia in 1959 with a Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture. After pursuing a career as an agronomist, he left the field in the mid-1960s to work with the North American Indian Brotherhood. His work in native affairs took him to Ottawa to lobby on Aboriginal issues. He was hired as a special assistant to two successive Cabinet ministers.

Political career Marchand entered politics and was elected to the House of Commons in the 1968 election as a Liberal Party candidate for the British Columbia riding of Kamloops-Cariboo. He defeated high-profile Progressive Conservative candidate E. Davie Fulton. He was the first Status Indian to be elected as an MP.

He became parliamentary secretary to Jean Chrétien, who was the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, helping persuade Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau to begin land settlement negotiations between the federal government and the First Nations.

In 1976, Marchand was appointed to the Cabinet as Minister of State for small business. He was the first Status Indian to be appointed to a cabinet position. In 1977, he was promoted to Minister of the Environment, and held the post until his and the government's defeat in the 1979 election.

Marchand returned to British Columbia where he became administrator for the Nicola Valley Indian Administration. In 1984, he was appointed to the Senate, the second First Nations Canadian to be appointed (the first was officially James Gladstone, but in reality was Guy Williams). Marchand persuaded the Upper House to establish the Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples, on which he served as chairman.

Marchand retired from the Senate in 1998 at the age of 64, eleven years ahead of the mandatory retirement age, in order to spend more time in British Columbia. He died on June 3, 2016.

Member of Parliament Robert Falcon Ouellette gave a tribute to Len Marchand in the House of Commons on June 9, 2016.

Family Marchand is the father of Leonard Marchand Jr., the Chief Justice of British Columbia and Chief Justice of the Court of Appeal of Yukon, and Lori Marchand, the Managing Director of Indigenous Theatre at the National Arts Centre.

Legacy and honours In 1999, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada. In 2000, Caitlin Press published his autobiography, Breaking Trail. In 2014, Marchand received the Order of British Columbia.

Member

2014

Canadian version of this Medal

Marchand was sworn in as a Member of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada on September 15, 1976, giving him the accordant style "The Honourable" and the post-nominal letters "PC" for life. In 1999, Marchand was given the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from Thompson Rivers University.

Electoral record

Archives There is a Leonard Marchand fonds at Library and Archives Canada.