Métis human rights advocate Muriel Stanley Venne dies at 87

Venne, born in Lamont, Alta., was one of the first appointees to Alberta's Human Rights Commission in 1973 and later served as chair.

Muriel Stanley Venne, a trail-blazing Métis woman known for her Indigenous rights advocacy, has died at 87.

Venne, born in Lamont, Alta., was one of the first appointees to Alberta’s Human Rights Commission in 1973 and later served as chair.

She founded the Women of the Métis Nation as well as Esquao, the Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women. She also created programming for the Métis Nation of Alberta before serving as provincial vice president from 2008 to 2012.

“Muriel devoted her life to advancing the rights and well-being of Métis and other Indigenous peoples,” reads an online tribute to Venne made by the Métis Nation of Alberta.

“Through her remarkable leadership, she transformed advocacy into action, creating lasting change in employment, education and justice.”

In 2017, Venne had a provincial government building named after her in Edmonton. It was the first time a provincial building was named after an Indigenous woman in Alberta.

In a statement, the Women of the Métis Nation, also known as Les Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak, said Venne was an inspiration to many Indigenous women.

It said her advocacy work for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls was a catalyst for change in the justice system, as was her advocacy for Cindy Gladue.