15 Facts About Perry Bellegarde

Perry Bellegarde had previously served as chief of the Little Black Bear First Nation, chief of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, and as the Saskatchewan regional chief of the Assembly of First Nations.

Perry Bellegarde attended elementary and secondary schools in the nearby towns of Goodeve and Balcarres.

Perry Bellegarde has been recognized numerous times for his work as a First Nations leader.

Perry Bellegarde has been awarded the Canada 125 Medal, the Saskatchewan Centennial Medal, and the Queen's Golden and Diamond Jubilee Medals.

In May 1998, Perry Bellegarde became Chief of the province-wide Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations.

Perry Bellegarde did not run in the 2012 election, in which Atleo won a second term.

Perry Bellegarde identified as an early priority to seek federal government support for a judicial inquiry into the high rate of missing and murdered aboriginal women, an issue that had dominated First Nations activism in the 2010s.

Perry Bellegarde contributed to the newly elected Liberal government's establishing the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women Inquiry on 3 August 2018.

In June 2017, Perry Bellegarde marched in the Toronto Pride Parade.

Perry Bellegarde was the first AFN National Chief to do so.

On July 25,2018, Perry Bellegarde was re-elected to a second term as National Chief in the Assembly of First Nations' 2018 leadership election.

Perry Bellegarde called for Indigenous nations to enact their own citizenship laws beyond the Indian Act.

In 2019, Perry Bellegarde signed an agreement with the Canadian government that led to passage of Bill C-92: An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Metis children, youth and families.

Perry Bellegarde noted the need to negotiate with provincial governments over the bill, because several provinces were reluctant to cede their jurisdiction to Indigenous governments.

Perry Bellegarde received an Honorary Doctorate in Laws on June 2,2022, from Lakehead University, Ontario, Canada.