Jerry Fontaine
Encyclopedia
Jerry Fontaine is an Anishinaabe politician in Manitoba
, Canada
. He was chief of the Sagkeeng First Nation
from 1989 to 1998, led the First Peoples Party
in the 1995 provincial election
, and was an unsuccessful candidate to lead the Manitoba Liberal Party
in 1998. He was the director of Indigenous Initiatives at Algoma University from 2004-2008.
Fontaine is the nephew of Assembly of First Nations
leader Phil Fontaine
.
degree from the University of Manitoba
in 1976. He first campaigned for the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
in the 1986 provincial election
, contesting Lac du Bonnet as a Liberal. The Liberal Party was a weak electoral force in Manitoba during this period, and Fontaine received 959 votes (11.33%). The winner was Clarence Baker
of the New Democratic Party
.
relaxed anti-pollution standards in the area near his community. Fontaine became a prominent spokesman for Manitoba's First Peoples Party
(FPP) later in the year and was generally recognized as the nascent party's leader, although it is not clear if he held an official position.
The FPP was created following a 1993 resolution of the Assembly of Manitoba chiefs that advocated a political party focused on aboriginal issues. The party argued that all native peoples in Canada have an inherent right to self-government and that the country's traditional political parties were not addressing aboriginal concerns. Fontaine emphasized that the FPP was open to all Manitobans, not simply those of aboriginal background.
The party ran three candidates in the 1995 provincial election
, all of whom were defeated. Fontaine ran a credible campaign in the vast northern constituency of Rupertsland, but received only 541 votes (12.22%) for a fourth-place finish against New Democrat Eric Robinson, who is also aboriginal. The FPP ceased to exist after the election.
In 1998, an investigation by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
raised allegations that a separate aboriginal-issues party called Independent Native Voice
(INV) had been set up by Progressive Conservative
organizers to take votes from the New Democratic Party in marginal constituencies. A commission led by Judge Alfred Monnin
ruled that these organizers had induced at least one candidate, Darryl Sutherland, to run. The FPP was not implicated in this scandal. In the year the scandal broke, Fontaine informed the media that Sutherland had approached him late in the 1995 campaign to acknowledge that Conservative organizers provided him with funds. He encouraged Sutherland to take his story to the press, although Sutherland rejected this advice at the time. Fontaine has asserted that "the Tories took advantage of Aboriginal individuals who weren't all that involved in political issues or political life", and argued that the incident was symptomatic of the way aboriginal voters are sometimes treated by mainstream parties.
. He was 42 years old at the time. His candidacy was organized by Ernie Gilroy, and won support from figures such as Terry Duguid
and Graham Dixon. Fontaine emphasized that he was not a protest candidate, and his campaign did not focus exclusively on aboriginal issues. Initially regarded as the frontrunner, he lost to former Member of Parliament
Jon Gerrard
by 1336 votes to 832 in a mail-in ballot open to all party members. He was not a candidate in the 1999 provincial election
.
argued that the collapse of Wing Construction created a potentially destructive precedent for aboriginal/non-aboriginal partnerships in Canada.
Separate from the Wing Construction controversy, some members of the Sagkeeng first nation accused Fontaine of inadequate on-reserve housing in 1998. He resigned as chief following a series of protests, saying that he needed to devote all of his attention to the leadership contest. He later defended his financial record against what he described as a "continued siege by government and media alike".
During the period, 2003-2005 Fontaine became active in the development of the Treaty 1 Protection Office that included the following Treaty 1 First Nations (Brokenhead, Long Plain, Peguis, Roseau River, Sagkeeng, Sandy Bay and Swan Lake). Treaty 1 was signed August 3, 1871.
Fontaine was one of three candidates seeking the leadership of Manitoba's Southern Chiefs Organization in June 2003. He finished third, receiving only two votes out of 31 cast.
In 2005, Fontaine served as an adviser to AFN leader Phil Fontaine and promoting education within Canada's aboriginal communities. He has argued that aboriginal communities should have control over First Nations post-secondary institutions.
He was chosen as interim president of the First Peoples National Party of Canada
, a federal party similar to the FPP, in 2005. He continues to serve as FPNP president as of 2006. Fontaine was an administrator at Algoma University, where he worked as Director of Indigenous Initiatives.
While in the capacity of Director, Indigenous Initiatives, Fontaine also served as Sessional Lecturer. (Algoma University, Laurentian University and Shingwauk Kinoomage Gamig)
Fontaine received a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from (European University, Paris, France) (2000), Master of Arts (MA) from the (University of Manitoba) (2009) and is currently completing his Ph.D.in Indigenous Studies (Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario).
. Expenditure entries refer to individual candidate expenses. Fontaine was elected Chief of the Sagkeeng First Nation in 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995 and 1997.
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He was chief of the Sagkeeng First Nation
Sagkeeng First Nation
The Sagkeeng First Nation is an Anishinaabe First Nation which holds territory east of Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada. Sagkeeng, which was once called Fort Alexander, has an on-reserve population of approximately 3,000 people. Ojibwe is the name of the tribe that lives in Sagkeeng.There is a...
from 1989 to 1998, led the First Peoples Party
First Peoples Party
-History:The FPP was created following a 1993 resolution by the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, endorsing a political party to focus on aboriginal issues. The party was officially founded in November 1994, and fielded three candidates in the 1995 provincial election...
in the 1995 provincial election
Manitoba general election, 1995
The Manitoba general election of April 25,1995 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It was won by the Progressive Conservative Party, which won 31 seats out of 57...
, and was an unsuccessful candidate to lead the Manitoba Liberal Party
Manitoba Liberal Party
The Manitoba Liberal Party is a political party in Manitoba, Canada. Its roots can be traced to the late nineteenth-century, following the province's creation in 1870.-Origins and early development :...
in 1998. He was the director of Indigenous Initiatives at Algoma University from 2004-2008.
Fontaine is the nephew of Assembly of First Nations
Assembly of First Nations
The Assembly of First Nations , formerly known as the National Indian Brotherhood, is a body of First Nations leaders in Canada...
leader Phil Fontaine
Phil Fontaine
Larry Phillip Fontaine, OM is an Aboriginal Canadian leader. He completed his third and final term as National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations in 2009....
.
Early career
Fontaine received a Bachelor of ArtsBachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree from the University of Manitoba
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba , in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is the largest university in the province of Manitoba. It is Manitoba's most comprehensive and only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university. It placed...
in 1976. He first campaigned for the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba and the lieutenant governor form the Legislature of Manitoba, the legislature of the Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly in provincial general elections, all in single-member constituencies with first-past-the-post...
in the 1986 provincial election
Manitoba general election, 1986
The Manitoba general election of March 18, 1986 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It was won by the New Democratic Party, which took 30 seats out of 57. The Progressive Conservative Party won 26 seats and formed the official opposition...
, contesting Lac du Bonnet as a Liberal. The Liberal Party was a weak electoral force in Manitoba during this period, and Fontaine received 959 votes (11.33%). The winner was Clarence Baker
Clarence Baker
Clarence Baker was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1986 to 1988, representing the riding of Lac Du Bonnet for the New Democratic Party....
of the New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party of Manitoba
The New Democratic Party of Manitoba is a social-democratic political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is the provincial wing of the federal New Democratic Party, and is a successor to the Manitoba Co-operative Commonwealth Federation...
.
Sagkeeng chief and FPP leader
Fontaine became chief of the Sagkeeng First Nation three years later, and led the community until 1998. During his tenure as Chief, Sagkeeng developed the First Nation's constitutional declaration. This declaration facilitated the Manitoba Hydro Accord, a process that enabled the community to mitigate erosion damages caused by Hydro development and enforce its jurisdiction over its traditional territory. The constitutional process mandated the First Nation's Law-Making Assembly to pass two important pieces of legislation in relation to the Hydro Accord: the Process Law and Conservation Law. He was a supporter of local gambling rights, and launched a private prosecution against the Pine Falls pulp mill in 1995 for violations of the Water Rights Act. By his own admission, he destroyed his Liberal Party membership in 1994 when the Canadian government of Jean ChrétienJean Chrétien
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien , known commonly as Jean Chrétien is a former Canadian politician who was the 20th Prime Minister of Canada. He served in the position for over ten years, from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003....
relaxed anti-pollution standards in the area near his community. Fontaine became a prominent spokesman for Manitoba's First Peoples Party
First Peoples Party
-History:The FPP was created following a 1993 resolution by the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, endorsing a political party to focus on aboriginal issues. The party was officially founded in November 1994, and fielded three candidates in the 1995 provincial election...
(FPP) later in the year and was generally recognized as the nascent party's leader, although it is not clear if he held an official position.
The FPP was created following a 1993 resolution of the Assembly of Manitoba chiefs that advocated a political party focused on aboriginal issues. The party argued that all native peoples in Canada have an inherent right to self-government and that the country's traditional political parties were not addressing aboriginal concerns. Fontaine emphasized that the FPP was open to all Manitobans, not simply those of aboriginal background.
The party ran three candidates in the 1995 provincial election
Manitoba general election, 1995
The Manitoba general election of April 25,1995 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It was won by the Progressive Conservative Party, which won 31 seats out of 57...
, all of whom were defeated. Fontaine ran a credible campaign in the vast northern constituency of Rupertsland, but received only 541 votes (12.22%) for a fourth-place finish against New Democrat Eric Robinson, who is also aboriginal. The FPP ceased to exist after the election.
In 1998, an investigation by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
raised allegations that a separate aboriginal-issues party called Independent Native Voice
Independent Native Voice
Independent Native Voice, also known as Native Voice, was a short-lived political party in Manitoba, Canada. It was created in 1995 to address aboriginal issues, and ran three candidates in the 1995 provincial election. Native Voice was not registered with Elections Manitoba, and its candidates...
(INV) had been set up by Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba
The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba is the only right wing political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is also the official opposition party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.-Origins and early years:...
organizers to take votes from the New Democratic Party in marginal constituencies. A commission led by Judge Alfred Monnin
Alfred Monnin
Alfred Maurice Monnin, OC, OM, QC is a retired judge in Manitoba, Canada.He was appointed to the Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench in 1957 and to the Manitoba Court of Appeal in 1962. In 1983 he was appointed Chief Justice of Manitoba...
ruled that these organizers had induced at least one candidate, Darryl Sutherland, to run. The FPP was not implicated in this scandal. In the year the scandal broke, Fontaine informed the media that Sutherland had approached him late in the 1995 campaign to acknowledge that Conservative organizers provided him with funds. He encouraged Sutherland to take his story to the press, although Sutherland rejected this advice at the time. Fontaine has asserted that "the Tories took advantage of Aboriginal individuals who weren't all that involved in political issues or political life", and argued that the incident was symptomatic of the way aboriginal voters are sometimes treated by mainstream parties.
Liberal leadership campaign
Fontaine rejoined the Manitoba Liberal Party after the FPP's dissolution, and became a candidate for the party's leadership in 1998 following the resignation of Ginny HasselfieldGinny Hasselfield
Ginny Hasselfield is a Canadian politician, and was the leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party between 1996 and 1998. A former Manitoba teacher and principal, she was also president and co-founder of Cross Cultural Communications International Inc. a company that provided diversity training and...
. He was 42 years old at the time. His candidacy was organized by Ernie Gilroy, and won support from figures such as Terry Duguid
Terry Duguid
Terry Duguid is a politician and activist and executive in Manitoba, Canada. He has campaigned for elected office at the municipal, provincial and federal levels, and was served as a City Councillor in Winnipeg between 1989-1995...
and Graham Dixon. Fontaine emphasized that he was not a protest candidate, and his campaign did not focus exclusively on aboriginal issues. Initially regarded as the frontrunner, he lost to former Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
Jon Gerrard
Jon Gerrard
Jon Gerrard, PC, MLA is a politician and medical doctor in Manitoba, Canada. He was a Member of Parliament from 1993 to 1997, and was a secretary of state in the government of Jean Chrétien...
by 1336 votes to 832 in a mail-in ballot open to all party members. He was not a candidate in the 1999 provincial election
Manitoba general election, 1999
The Manitoba general election of September 21, 1999 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada....
.
Wing Construction
During the 1998 leadership contest, Fontaine was served with a $100,000 lawsuit from Wing Construction Limited, which had previously received a contract for school construction in Sagkeeng. Wing Construction argued that the Sagkeeng council had not turned over promised funds, and asserted that the company was left to sustain a loss of three million dollars. The federal government later determined that the Wing contract had not been formally approved by the Department of Indian Affairs, and the company was forced into bankruptcy protection in 2000. Fontaine characterized the personal lawsuit as "frivolous", and was later described as saying that the company had overstated the value of its work. Others have disputed this, and Alan Isfeld of the Waywayseecappo First NationWaywayseecappo First Nation
The Waywayseecappo First Nation is a First Nation located twenty miles east of Russell in Manitoba, Canada. The Nation's Reserve is 10,059 hectare and is located near the southwestern corner of the Riding Mountain National Park. It is bordered by the Rural Municipality of Rossburn and the Rural...
argued that the collapse of Wing Construction created a potentially destructive precedent for aboriginal/non-aboriginal partnerships in Canada.
Separate from the Wing Construction controversy, some members of the Sagkeeng first nation accused Fontaine of inadequate on-reserve housing in 1998. He resigned as chief following a series of protests, saying that he needed to devote all of his attention to the leadership contest. He later defended his financial record against what he described as a "continued siege by government and media alike".
Since 1998
From 1998-2003, Fontaine served as Senior Advisor to the Pine Falls Paper Company. During this period he facilitated negotiations between the Pine Falls Paper Company (PFPC) and participating Anishinaabe Nations in the development of a partnership agreement between the PFPC and Anshinaabe Nations.During the period, 2003-2005 Fontaine became active in the development of the Treaty 1 Protection Office that included the following Treaty 1 First Nations (Brokenhead, Long Plain, Peguis, Roseau River, Sagkeeng, Sandy Bay and Swan Lake). Treaty 1 was signed August 3, 1871.
Fontaine was one of three candidates seeking the leadership of Manitoba's Southern Chiefs Organization in June 2003. He finished third, receiving only two votes out of 31 cast.
In 2005, Fontaine served as an adviser to AFN leader Phil Fontaine and promoting education within Canada's aboriginal communities. He has argued that aboriginal communities should have control over First Nations post-secondary institutions.
He was chosen as interim president of the First Peoples National Party of Canada
First Peoples National Party of Canada
The First Peoples National Party of Canada is a registered federal political party in Canada. It intends to advance the issues of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada by nominating candidates for election in electoral districts with large Aboriginal populations.The FPNPC held its first organizational...
, a federal party similar to the FPP, in 2005. He continues to serve as FPNP president as of 2006. Fontaine was an administrator at Algoma University, where he worked as Director of Indigenous Initiatives.
While in the capacity of Director, Indigenous Initiatives, Fontaine also served as Sessional Lecturer. (Algoma University, Laurentian University and Shingwauk Kinoomage Gamig)
Fontaine received a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from (European University, Paris, France) (2000), Master of Arts (MA) from the (University of Manitoba) (2009) and is currently completing his Ph.D.in Indigenous Studies (Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario).
Table of offices held
Electoral Record
All electoral information is taken from Elections ManitobaElections Manitoba
Elections Manitoba is the non-partisan agency of the Government of Manitoba, responsible for the conduct of provincial elections....
. Expenditure entries refer to individual candidate expenses. Fontaine was elected Chief of the Sagkeeng First Nation in 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995 and 1997.
Footnotes
All electoral information is taken from Elections Manitoba
Elections Manitoba
Elections Manitoba is the non-partisan agency of the Government of Manitoba, responsible for the conduct of provincial elections....
. Expenditures refer to individual candidate expenses.