Coast Salish Territory/West Vancouver – The First Nations Leadership Council is deeply saddened by the sudden loss of respected Dakelh Elder- Statesman, Harry Pierre, 65. He died this morning at the Prince George Regional Hospital.
Harry Pierre enjoyed a long political career starting in the 1960s, often serving as Chief of the Tl’azt’en (klaz-den) Nation. He also served a term as Tribal Chief of the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council, elected in 2003. He was one of the founding Chiefs of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs in the late 1960s and the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council in the 1970s. He also supported the creation of the First Nations Summit in the early 1990s. As a Summit delegate, he always spoke about the importance of the environment, frequently saying ‘protect the land and the land will protect you’.