Phil Fontaine

Phil Fontaine OC OM
National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations
In office 1997–2000
Preceded by	Ovide Mercredi
Succeeded by	Matthew Coon Come
In office 2003–2009
Preceded by	Matthew Coon Come
Succeeded by	Shawn Atleo
Personal details
Born	(1944-09-20) September 20, 1944 (age 72) Fort Alexander, Manitoba

Larry Phillip (Phil) Fontaine, OC OM (born September 20, 1944) is an Aboriginal Canadian leader. He completed his third and final term as National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations in 2009.

Fontaine was born at the Sagkeeng First Nation on the Fort Alexander Reserve in Manitoba, about 150 kilometers north of Winnipeg. His first language is Ojibway.

In his youth he attended a residential school operated by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate at Sagkeeng. He also attended the Assiniboia Residential School in Winnipeg and he graduated from Powerview Collegiate in 1961.

In 1973, Fontaine was elected Chief of the Sagkeeng community for two consecutive terms. Upon completion of his mandate, he and his family moved to the Yukon, where he was a regional director general with the Canadian government.

In 1981 Fontaine graduated from the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political studies. After graduation, he worked for the Southeast Resource Development Council as a special advisor to the tribal council, which was followed by his election to the position of Manitoba’s vice-chief for the Assembly of First Nations. Fontaine was one of the Manitoba First Nation leaders who led the opposition of the Meech Lake Accord.

The Aboriginal Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission credits Fontaine for placing the issue of residential schools on the national agenda when in October 1990 he spoke publicly about the abuse that he and his fellow students had experienced at the Fort Alexander school. The next year, in 1991, he was elected grand chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs and served for three consecutive terms.

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