Equality and education keys to senator's success

Page 8

How does a boy growing up on a reserve in British Columbia become a member of the Senate of Canada? What seems at first glance a long an unlikely journey becomes after listening to Leonard Stephen Marchand's account, a natural process. As he puts it: "I always didn't like the way were living," Politics, however, was not his first love.

In spite of the rigors of his early life, the senator speaks fondly of his boyhood. He especially remembers the horses on his father's small cattle ranch. Besides riding, roping and helping with the livestock in other ways, Marchand was influenced by his grandmother's interest in plants.

"She was a great herbalist," he says. In that sense his upbringing was typical of many children growing up on Canadian reserves. He had close

ties to the natural world, and he began his education by learning from

his Elders.

With the encouragement of his parents, Agnes (Robinson) and Joseph

Marchard, Leonard knew that he must also get a formal education. First,

he went to the elementary school on the Okanagan Reserve; then began

high school at the Kamloops residential school. He finished school

(grade 13) in Vernon -- he was, in fact, the first Native to graduate

from Vernon High School. The year was 1955.

After high school, Marchand went immediately to the University of B.C

His early interests led him to take his bachelor's degree in agriculture

and plant science. From there, he went to University of Idaho for

studies in range management, and in 1964 he completed a master's degree

in Forestry.

This training equipped him for agricultural research, and from 1960 to

1965 he was a research scientist at the Agricultural Research Station in

Kamloops.

In 1960, Leonard married Donna Elizabeth Parr of North Bay, Ont. The

couple has two children, Lori Anne and Leonard Stephen Jr., and now

three grandchildren. Their permanent home is in Kamloops.

If Marchand as a youth was breaking new ground in education, politics

have made him a pioneer as well. He "always dabbled in politics," he

says. In the late '50s and early '60s that meant being an active member

of the North American Indian Brotherhood. He also worked with leaders

Andy Paul and the late George Manuel.

At that time, he devoted his energies to such issues as obtaining the

federal vote, improving educational opportunities for Indians and

working towards Native self-government.

Marchand and his fellow activists realized that, in order to bring

about change for Indigenous people, they needed effective representation

in government. Between 1965 and 1968, he got his foot in the political

door by working as a special assistant, first to J.R. Nicholson and then

to Arthur Laing, during their terms as Indian Affairs ministers.

In 1968, at the age of 34, Leonard Marchand was encouraged to run for

office himself. He was elected Member of Parliament for

Kamloops-Cariboo. Again, he was setting precedents; he was the first

status Indian to be elected to the House of Commons. He was re-elected

in both 1972 and 1974.

While in the Commons, some of the many roles he played were those of

parliamentary secretary to both the minister of Indian Affairs and

Northern Development and the minister of the Environment. He was

himself minister of state for Small Business (176-77) and minister of

state for the Environment, from 1977 to 1979. In June, 1984, Pierre

Elliot Trudeau summoned him to the Senate of Canada. Marchand

represents the province of British Columbia, and Kamloops-Cariboo in

particular.

Prior to his appointment to the Senate, during his second tern in the

House of Commons, Marchand enjoyed what he calls "one of his greatest

achievements." It was in August, 1973. The Calder case had just come

to an unsatisfactory conclusion, with the Supreme Court judges unable to

agree about how Aboriginal rights were to be interpreted. Feeling the

issue must be resolved, Marchand arranged a meeting between Trudeau and

three of the judges. After the meeting, Trudeau acknwledged there was

a legal case for Aboriginal rights.

Later, Marchand and Jean Chretien, minster of Indian Affairs, were

invited to 24 Sussex Drive. Over lunch, Trudeau agreed that in future

Native land claims would be negotiated with the parties concerned.

This seems particularly relevant to current situations, and the senator

has some advice for parties involved in land disputes today. His

response is typical of an Elder statesman.

"Be patient," he says. "Negotiate in good faith. Get facts and

history straight." Though there is still some way to go (for instance,

only 0.63 per cent of British Columbia is acknowledged as Indian land)

there have been some encouraging settlements.

In government and in his personal life, Senator Marchand has never lost

touch with his Native roots. In the senate, he has been active on many

committees dealing with social and Aboriginal affairs, agriculture,

forestry and internal economy. One of these involvements has been as

vice-chairman of the committee for Aboriginal veterans affairs.

"They were part of the team during the war," he says. "And then they

came back home and found that nothing had changed."

Senator Marchand has been honored by the Aboriginal community as well

as by the government of Canada. In 1984, he was made honorary chief of

the Okanagans. He is also an honorary patron of the Native Arts

Foundation. Looking at his many successes, Senator Marchand still sees

education as the key to success.

He also stresses the importance of "finding one's own way as an equal

human being."

Leonard Marchand's children have taken to heart his advice about

education. Lori Anne - who lives with her husband in Whitecourt, Alta.

-- has her degree in English; Leonard Jr. is a chemical engineer who has

recently gone into law and is about to be accepted to the bar.