Stephen Kakfwi (born 1950) During the 1970s, Kakfwi attended the University of Alberta to complete a teacher's degree, but early in that decade he returned to his Fort Good Hope community during a time in which many Aboriginal Canadians were beginning to organize politically to demand recognition of their land and self-government rights.
Political career
In the 1970s the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline was proposed. Kakfwi identified the danger this proposal posed to his community's homeland, and fought tirelessly against the proposal, organizing groups of Dene and Métis. Eventually, the Government of Canada established the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry, commissioned by Justice Thomas R. Berger. The 1977-8 recommendations against building a pipeline through the Northwest Territories for the time being were considered by Kakfwi as a "political badge of honour". Kakfwi continues to play an active role in the development of the Northwest Territories through his advisory position to WWF Canada.
In 2014, he founded Canadians for a New Partnership, a coalition with a goal to build a new partnership between First Peoples and all Canadians.
In 2017, Kakfwi was appointed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to serve on the Supreme Court Advisory Board. The board's mandate was to recommend a successor to Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin before her retirement later that year.
Awards
In 1997, Kakfwi was awarded the National Aboriginal Achievement Award for public service for his leadership role in Northern Canada.
In October 2013, he was awarded the Governor General's Northern Medal by David Johnston.
Personal life
Kakfwi is married to Marie Wilson and has three children and four grandchildren.