Jim Sinclair (politician)
Encyclopedia
Jim Sinclair is a Non-Status Indian
leader from Saskatchewan
Canada
. Despite his Non-Status, rather than Métis, background, for many years he was one of the pre-eminent Métis
leaders in Canada. Jim served as president of the Métis Society of Saskatchewan, and the Association of Métis and Non-Status Indians of Saskatchewan (AMNSIS), forerunners of the contemporary Métis Nation - Saskatchewan
.
He had a difficult youth as a road allowance person, and struggled with alcohol addiction. After beating his addiction Jim worked extensively at community level organization among his people, to get them to sober up, take responsibility for their lives, and to lead others in the struggle for their rights. He learned to become an expert at using the media, at using confrontation politics to force government to deal with peoples' immediate needs and rights. He focused on issues such as housing, institutional racism
, Aboriginal land rights, hunting, fishing, and trapping rights, and education. He was part of the team who helped to establish a major network of alcohol treatment centers, along with the Gabriel Dumont Institute
of Métis Studies and Applied Research.
In 1987, during the Canadian constitutional talks that led to the Meech Lake Accord
, Sinclair took a strong stance against Premiers Grant Devine
of Saskatchewan and Bill Vander Zalm
of British Columbia
for what he saw as their antagonism to Métis rights. From 1994 to 1996, Mr. Sinclair led the national Congress of Aboriginal Peoples
. From 1996 to the present he has been President of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples of Saskatchewan.
Sinclair was awarded the Order of the Métis Nation in 2004 for a lifetime of service to the Aboriginal community.
Non-Status Indian
In Canada, a Non-Status Indian is a legal term referring to any First Nations individual who for whatever reason is not registered with the Federal government, and/or is not registered to a band which signed a Treaty with the Crown....
leader from Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
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...
. Despite his Non-Status, rather than Métis, background, for many years he was one of the pre-eminent Métis
Métis people (Canada)
The Métis are one of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who trace their descent to mixed First Nations parentage. The term was historically a catch-all describing the offspring of any such union, but within generations the culture syncretised into what is today a distinct aboriginal group, with...
leaders in Canada. Jim served as president of the Métis Society of Saskatchewan, and the Association of Métis and Non-Status Indians of Saskatchewan (AMNSIS), forerunners of the contemporary Métis Nation - Saskatchewan
Métis Nation - Saskatchewan
The Métis Nation—Saskatchewan is an organization that represents the approximately 80,000 Métis people in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. It is affiliated with the Métis National Council....
.
He had a difficult youth as a road allowance person, and struggled with alcohol addiction. After beating his addiction Jim worked extensively at community level organization among his people, to get them to sober up, take responsibility for their lives, and to lead others in the struggle for their rights. He learned to become an expert at using the media, at using confrontation politics to force government to deal with peoples' immediate needs and rights. He focused on issues such as housing, institutional racism
Institutional racism
Institutional racism describes any kind of system of inequality based on race. It can occur in institutions such as public government bodies, private business corporations , and universities . The term was coined by Black Power activist Stokely Carmichael in the late 1960s...
, Aboriginal land rights, hunting, fishing, and trapping rights, and education. He was part of the team who helped to establish a major network of alcohol treatment centers, along with the Gabriel Dumont Institute
Gabriel Dumont Institute
The Gabriel Dumont Institute of Native Studies and Applied Research is a post-secondary educational institution in Saskatchewan, Canada. It is administered by and services the Métis population of Saskatchewan...
of Métis Studies and Applied Research.
In 1987, during the Canadian constitutional talks that led to the Meech Lake Accord
Meech Lake Accord
The Meech Lake Accord was a package of proposed amendments to the Constitution of Canada negotiated in 1987 by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and ten provincial premiers. It was intended to persuade the government of the Province of Quebec to endorse the 1982 Canadian Constitution and increase...
, Sinclair took a strong stance against Premiers Grant Devine
Grant Devine
Donald Grant Devine was the 11th Premier of Saskatchewan from May 8, 1982 to November 1, 1991.- Early life :Born in Regina, Saskatchewan, he received a B.Sc. in Agriculture degree specializing in Agricultural Economics in 1967 from the University of Saskatchewan, an M.Sc. specializing in...
of Saskatchewan and Bill Vander Zalm
Bill Vander Zalm
Wilhelmus Nicholaas Theodore Marie "Bill" Vander Zalm is a politician and entrepreneur in British Columbia, Canada. He was the 28th Premier of British Columbia from 1986 to 1991.-Early life:...
of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
for what he saw as their antagonism to Métis rights. From 1994 to 1996, Mr. Sinclair led the national Congress of Aboriginal Peoples
Congress of Aboriginal Peoples
Congress of Aboriginal Peoples founded in 1971 as the Native Council of Canada, is a Canadian aboriginal organization, that represents Aboriginal Peoples who live off Indian reserves, either in urban and rural areas across Canada.Each CAP affiliate has its own constitution and is separately...
. From 1996 to the present he has been President of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples of Saskatchewan.
Sinclair was awarded the Order of the Métis Nation in 2004 for a lifetime of service to the Aboriginal community.