Bill Wilson, a hereditary chief and the father of former cabinet minister Jody Wilson-Raybould, has died.
Wilson-Raybould announced his death on social media, saying her father’s life was “one of leadership and striving to make change.” A cause of death was not released.
The Kwakwaka’wakw hereditary chief once faced off with former prime minister Pierre Trudeau in heated constitutional talks in the 1980s, and eventually helped get Indigenous title to land and treaty rights enshrined in the Constitution.
On one occasion, Wilson told Trudeau that his daughters, Jody and Kory, would become prime ministers one day.
B.C. Chief Bill Wilson tells Pierre Trudeau at a 1983 Constitutional conference on native issues that his pre-teen daughter Jody wants the PM’s job.
Wilson was born in 1944 in Comox, B.C., according to the Canadian Encyclopedia, and was a lawyer who graduated from the University of B.C. in 1973.
According to the Canadian Bar Association, Wilson was the second-ever Indigenous person to graduate from law school in B.C.
He was also involved with Indigenous rights groups like the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) and First Nations Summit (FNS).
The Kwakwaka’wakw hereditary chief was of the Kwakiutl First Nation, located in northeast Vancouver Island.
His daughter Wilson-Raybould served in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet as justice minister and attorney general and briefly as minister of veterans affairs.
“He taught us well, and we strive to honour all he gave us by carrying on his work,” Wilson-Raybould said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Our beautiful beloved father, grandfather, husband to Bev, and Hereditary Chief, Hemas Kla-Lee-Lee-Kla (Bill Wilson), passed away tonight surrounded by love and this glorious sunset…(1/2) <a href=”https://t.co/qUaUTcZh4c”>pic.twitter.com/qUaUTcZh4c</a>
—@Puglaas
In a social media post, UBCIC sent its condolences to Wilson’s family and First Nation.
“UBCIC is so deeply saddened to hear of Indigenous Title and Rights champion Bill Wilson’s passing,” it wrote. “He dedicated his life to our fight and was instrumental in the creation of UBCIC and the [First Nations Summit].”