1981 Provincial Election: Elijah Harper

Elijah Harper: Elijah Harper was born on Red Sucker First Nation in 1949, and attended residential schools before enrolling at the University of Manitoba. Enlarge Image , according to Winnipeg Free Press. He was elected chief of his reserve in 1978 and held the position until he successfully contested the 1981 provincial election to become NDP MLA for Rupertsland the first treaty aboriginal to be a provincial politician. It was a year that saw the passing of an aboriginal leader who said no, a longtime peace activist and perennial mayoral candidate, a woman who died on her own terms, a prominent business leader, a pillar of justice and a grocer who fought for low milk prices. Elijah Harper Elijah Harper TOM HANSON / THE CANADIAN PRESS (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.