Tony Belcourt biography

Over Tony Belcourt’s distinguished career, he has established a strong reputation as a successful corporate leader, innovator, entrepreneur and communications specialist.  His nearly 40 years of experience and significant achievement in the corporate, government and not-for-profit sectors have made him a much-sought-after expert and advisor on business and Aboriginal affairs both domestically and internationally. Mr. Belcourt has been one of the foremost business leaders and political figures within Canada’s Métis community since being elected Vice-President of the Métis Association of Alberta in 1969. He was a key figure in the formation of the Native Council of Canada, and became their founding President in 1971 (a position he held until 1974). A well-respected lobbyist and negotiator, Mr. Belcourt has played a key role in establishing a national voice for Canada's Métis and Non-Status Indians. His efforts were an important contributing factor in the Métis being recognized in the Constitution Act, 1982, as one of the Aboriginal peoples of Canada.  Mr. Belcourt’s leadership has been demonstrated both in Canada and on the world stage. He has represented the Métis Nation in high-level talks at the United Nations and the Organization of American States and has made presentations to the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Summit on Information Society, the International Telecommunications Union and the World Conference Against Racism. In various executive positions within Canada’s Aboriginal community, Mr. Belcourt has been successful in lobbying the federal government for the recognition of various Métis rights, including gaining access for Métis and Non-Status organizations in the federal government’s core-funding program; convincing the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation to put in place the Rural and Native Housing Program to build 50,000 new homes; and working to ensure the Constitutional protection of the Métis’ right to hunt. In 1985, Mr. Belcourt served as Chairman and Producer of the 1985 Native Business Summit, a 5-day trade forum and conference which helped to generate more than $50 million worth of trade for Native businesses. Mr. Belcourt is a skilled and experienced communications professional. In the mid-70s, he established a research company and began his career as a writer, producer and director in film, video and radio production. He served as Deputy-Director of Public Relations for the City of Edmonton in the late 1960s, Communications Director at the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs from 1977-1981, and was the Founder and President of the Aboriginal-focused multi-media production company Wolfwalker Communications, which he ran from 1987-1994. Other leadership and advisory positions throughout Mr. Belcourt’s career have included: Advisor to the Métis National Council, Advisor to the Inuit Committee on National Issues, Chair of the Métis Nation of Ontario Cultural Commission, President of the Métis Nation of Ontario Development Corporation, Co-Chair of the Aboriginal Voice Initiative for the Crossing Boundaries National Council, Board Member for the Métis Nation of Ontario Development Corporation, Member of the Métis Native Council Board of Governors and Board Member of the Ontario Métis and Non-Status Indian Association. Most recently, Mr. Belcourt served as President of the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO), an organization that he founded in 1993 and led until early 2008. Under Mr. Belcourt’s direction, the MNO rose from obscurity to prominence. The organization grew to have a staff of more than 180 in 30 offices across Ontario managing more than $14 million of operational funding for health and education programs. He also established Aboriginal endowment funds at 32 Ontario Colleges and Universities which now total $4 million. Mr. Belcourt is currently a member of the Governing Council of Trent University's Ph.D. Program in Native Studies (the first such degree program at any university in Canada), a member of the Ontario College of Art and Design’s Aboriginal Educational Council and President of the Indigenous Commission for Communications Technologies in the Americas. In early 2008, Mr. Belcourt was appointed to the post of Métis Nation Ambassador for International Issues by the President of the Métis National Council. In 2006, Mr. Belcourt received a National Aboriginal Achievement Award for public service. Mr. Belcourt lives in Ottawa with his partner, Danielle. He has two daughters, a son and is a proud grandfather.   For further information call Tony Belcourt at 1-613-656-5033 or email: tonyb@tonybelcourt.com