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Dr. Wilton Littlechild of Maskwacis honoured for work on TRC

Meritorious Service Cross from the Governor General awarded
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International Chief and former TRC commissioner Dr. Wilton Littlechild. (Emily Jaycox/Ponoka News)

Dr. Wilton Littlechild of Maskwacis was honoured with a Meritorious Service Cross from the Governor General of Canada in May, along with two others, for their work on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).

Littlechild was honoured with Justice Murray Sinclair and Marie Wilson.

“(They) shouldered the responsibility for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada with fortitude, compassion and perseverance,” states the Governor General’s website. “Over six years, they led the examination of the Indian Residential School system, combing through myriad documents and witnessing the courage of survivors who shared their stories.”

Their final report invites all Canadians to “confront the inequities of the past, and calls on governments and individuals alike to move forward, with greater understanding, towards reconciliation.”

The Four Nations of Maskwacis also recently honoured Littlechild for his advocacy, holding an appreciation day for him on May 16, his birthday.

Members of Maskwacis gathered and celebrated his lifetime achievements for all Indigenous people.

Littlechild holds a PhD., is a lawyer and a Cree chief, and has spent his career being the voice for other residential school survivors, and to advance Indigenous rights and treaties, on both the national and international stage.

Littlechild was a member of the 1977 Indigenous delegation to the United Nations (UN), and worked on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

In the 1980s, he worked on the lawsuit to prevent patriation of the Canadian Constitution until the Aboriginal and Treaty Rights were protected. In more recent years, has been a regional and International Chief on Treaties No. 6, 7, 8 (sttpcanada.ctf-fce.ca).

Most recently, Littlechild travelled to the Vatican with a delegation to visit with Pope Francis.

READ MORE: Pope Francis apologizes to Indigenous delegates for Canada’s residential schools

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The Four Nations of Maskwacis honoured Dr. Wilton Littlechild on May 16, his birthday, celebrating his lifetime achievements for Indigenous people. (Facebook photo/Samson Cree Nation)


Emily Jaycox

About the Author: Emily Jaycox

I’m Emily Jaycox, the editor of Ponoka News and the Bashaw Star. I’ve lived in Ponoka since 2015 and have over seven years of experience working as a journalist in central Alberta communities.
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