- Frank Arthur Calder
: "This article is about the Canadian politician. For the NHL executive, see also
Frank Calder "Frank Arthur Calder, OC , OBC, (
August 3 ,1915 -November 4 ,2006 ) was aNisga'a politician inCanada , the firstStatus Indian to be elected to anyParliament of Canada .Born in
Nass Harbour, British Columbia , Calder was the first Indian to graduate from the Anglican Theological College of theUniversity of British Columbia . He died November 4th, 2006 at an assisted-living home in Victoria from the effects of cancer and recent abdominal surgery.Political career
In the 1949 British Columbia election, Calder was elected to the
Legislative Assembly of British Columbia . He was elected in the riding of Atlin where he continued to serve until 1979. Calder represented BC'sCo-operative Commonwealth Federation (which later became theNew Democratic Party of British Columbia ).Calder was appointed cabinet member in
Dave Barrett 's government in 1972 and became BC's first aboriginal cabinet minister. In 1973, police found him in a consensual situation involving a female companion, alcohol and a car parked in an intersection. He was arrested but not charged and was fired from cabinet.Sandra Martin, "Obituary: FRANK CALDER, POLITICIAN AND NISGA'A CHIEF: 1915-2006; The ‘dream child' started a native land-claims case that would reverberate across Canada and around the world", "Globe and Mail", November 9, 2006] In 1974 he was defeated byJames Cosnell in his bid to be re-elected as president of the Nisga'a Tribal Council.In 1975, Calder crossed the floor to join the
Social Credit Party of British Columbia and was re-elected. In 1979, however, Calder lost his seat to the NDP candidate by a single vote. Legend has it that he and his wife did not wish to travel back to the riding and therefore did not vote. Their votes would have made the difference and won Calder's riding.Fighting for treaty rights
Calder is famous for the court case titled "Calder vs. Attorney General of British Columbia", which was argued by
Tom Berger . By appealing the case all the way to theSupreme Court of Canada , Calder established thatAboriginal title exists in modern Canadian law. This decision had national and international reverberations. In addition, it was the basis of BC'sNisga'a treaty .Before the Calder Case, there was no clear process for negotiating Canadian land claim settlements. Calder clarified which lands were negotiable (40% of Canada's land mass) and which were not. After the case, Canada developed a land claim policy to guide negotiations. He continued to fight for Nisga's treat rights as recently as 2000. [ [http://www.ltgov.bc.ca/whatsnew/sp/sp_jul28_2005.htm] ]
Calder founded the
Nisga'a Tribal Council , the first tribal council established in B.C. Calder was its president for 20 years until 1974.Honours
* 1987 - Made an Officer of the
Order of Canada .
* Awarded the Aboriginal Order of Canada.
* 1996 - National Aboriginal Achievement Award [http://www.naaf.ca/html/f_calder_e.html]
* 2004 - Awarded theOrder of British Columbia .External links
* [http://www.nisgaalisims.ca/pages/memorial/drfcalder.html In memory of Dr. Frank Calder, Chief of Chiefs]
* [http://www.vancouver.anglican.ca/News/tabid/27/ctl/ViewArticle/ArticleId/417/mid/486/Default.aspx Eulogy from the Diocese of New Westminster web pages]
* [http://www.citytel.net/~nisga1/introduction.html Introduction by Frank Calder to Nisga'a: People Of The Nass River]References
External links
* [http://www.protocol.gov.bc.ca/protocol/prgs/obc/2004/2004_FCalder.htm Calder's Order of British Columbia biography]
* [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0001168 Calder in the Canadian Encyclopedia]
*
* [http://www.legis.gov.bc.ca/hansard/30th3rd/30p_03s_730920p.htm Hansard record of opposition complaints about Calder's hasty firing]
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