Additional information
by Wayne K. Spear (Author), Georges Erasmus (Author), Jody Wilson-Raybould (Foreword by)
THE HILL TIMES TOP 100 BOOKS OF 2024
The political life of Dene leader Georges Erasmus -- a radical Native rights crusader widely regarded as one of the most important Indigenous leaders of the past fifty years.
For decades, Georges Erasmus led the fight for Indigenous rights. From the Berger Inquiry to the Canadian constitutional talks to the Oka Crisis, Georges was a significant figure in Canada's political landscape. In the 1990s, he led the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples and afterward was chair and president of the Aboriginal Healing Foundation, around the time that Canada's residential school system became an ongoing frontpage story.
Georges's five-decade battle for Indigenous rights took him around the world and saw him sitting across the table from prime ministers and premiers. In the 1980s, when Georges was the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, he was referred to as the "Thirteenth Premier." This book tells the personal story of his life as a leading Indigenous figure, taking the reader inside some of Canada's biggest crises and challenges.
Author Biography
Wayne K. Spear has worked for more than two decades in health and education. His previous books include Residential Schools, with the Words and Images of Survivors and Full Circle: The Aboriginal Healing Foundation and the Unfinished Work of Hope, Healing, and Reconciliation. He lives in Toronto.
Georges Erasmus is a former president of the Indian Brotherhood of Northwest Territories (later the Dene Nation), National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, chair and president of the Aboriginal Healing Foundation, and co-chair of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. He has received the Aboriginal Achievement Award for Public Service and is an Officer of the Order of Canada. He lives in Yellowknife.
