Muriel Stanley Venne

Muriel Stanley Venne
CM AOE
Born
Muriel Esther Kopp
(1937-12-12)December 12, 1937
Lamont, Alberta, Canada
DiedDecember 17, 2024(2024-12-17) (aged 87)
St. Albert, Alberta, Canada
EducationEastwood School, Edmonton
Alma materUniversity of AlbertaMacEwan University (honorary)
OccupationsMétis community leader and Indigenous rights activist
EmployerAlberta Human Rights Commission
Organization(s)Métis Association of Alberta,Women of the Métis Nation,The Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women
Political partyNew Democratic Party
Children4

Muriel Stanley VenneCMAOE (née Kopp, 1937–2024) was a Canadian Métis community leader and Indigenous rights activist. She was one of the first seven members of the Alberta Human Rights Commission and was elected Vice President of the Métis Nation of Alberta. She founded The Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women (IAAW) and Women of the Métis Nation.

Early life and education

Venne was born in Lamont, Alberta, Canada in 1937 and moved to Edmonton as a child. She had a twin brother and they were the eldest of ten children in their family.[1] Her family were Métis ironworkers that built skyscrapers in Edmonton.[2][3]

Venne attended Eastwood School.[1] When she was in Grade 10, Venne contracted tuberculosis (TB) and spent a year undergoing treatment at Aberhart Memorial Sanitorium in Edmonton.[1] During this time, her uncle, aunt and their baby all died from TB.[4]

Venne was married aged 17 and had four children, before her marriage ended due to domestic violence towards her.[5][6]

Venne worked on upgrading courses by correspondence while she raised her children.[4] She then studied an education degree at the University of Alberta, but had to leave before completing her degree for financial reasons.[1]

Career

Activism

After leaving university, Venne began working for the Métis Association of Alberta and established the "Edmonton Native Outreach Program."[7]

In 1973, Venne was one of the first seven members appointed by Premier Peter Lougheed to the Alberta Human Rights Commission.[1][8][9] During her term as President, Venne hosted the "Aboriginal Women’s Human Rights Symposium and the Gathering Our Strength – Violence Against Aboriginal Women Conference" in Edmonton.[10]

Venne wrote The Rights Path, a booklet explaining human rights to all Indigenous Albertans.[11] The booklet was endorsed by Mary Robinson, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.[12]

In 1993, Venne criticised how some communities and women were not represented at the Canada Royal Commission on Aboriginal People's National Round Table on Aboriginal Economic Development and Resources, asking why the panellists were all men and why no business women were asked to contribute.[13]

In 1994, Venne founded The Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women (IAAW).[1][8][14][15][16] Venne campaigned with IAAW to raise awareness about the cases of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women in Canada,[17] highlighting that Indigenous women were murdered at disproportionate rates.[6][18] She called out failures in specific cases due to systemic racism,[19] in partnership with the Women’s Legal Action & Awareness Fund (LEAF), such as in the cases of Cindy Gladue,[15][20] Colten Boushie and Tina Fontaine.[1][21][22] With IAAW, Venne also established a community-based awards program for Indigenous women.[1]

Venne founded the organisation Women of the Métis Nation, also known as Les Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak.[23] She led the creation of the "Esquao Awards" in 1995 to recognise First Nation, Métis and Inuit women in Alberta,[15][24] advocating for the reclamation of the word esquao (meaning woman in Cree) and the derogatory slur squaw by women.[9][25]

In the early 2000s, Venne became active in the Alberta Labour History Institute (ALHI).[3] In September 2008, Venne was elected Vice President of the Métis Nation of Alberta,[10][26] serving in this role until 2012.[15] She was a lifetime member of the Canadian Native Friendship Centre.[27]

In 2010, Venne was awarded a Distinguished Citizen Honorary Bachelor of Arts Degree by MacEwan University.[4]

In 2013, Venne presented about the state of Indigenous women's lives in Canada to United NationsRapporteurJames Anaya during his visit to Maskwacis, Alberta.[4]

Political candidacy

Venne stood as a New Democratic Party candidate for the Edmonton-Meadowlark district in the 1986 Alberta general election, taking 20.04% of the vote.[28] At the 1988 Canadian federal election she stood as a New Democratic Party candidate for the Yellowhead electoral district,[29] taking 15.4% of the vote.[30]

She stood as a New Democratic Party candidate for the new Edmonton-South West district in the 2012 Alberta general election, taking 8.61% of the vote.[28]

Death

Venne died in 2024, aged 87.[8][21]

Awards and honours

In October 2017, the Muriel Stanley Venne Provincial Centre building was named in her honour by the Province of Alberta. It was the first provincial building in Alberta to be named after an Indigenous woman.[33][34][35]

In 2021, artist Amanta Scott painted a portrait of Venne titled Boudica Impression of Muriel Stanley Venne.[36]

In 2022, a biography titled The Life and Legacy of Muriel Stanley Venne: A Métis Matriarch was written by Christine Mowat and was released by Heritage House Publishing.[37] Venne was also featured in the 2021 book Stories of Métis Women: Tales My Kookum Told Me, part of the Indigenous Spirt of Nature series from Durvile and Uproute Books in Calgary.[38]

References

  1. ^ abcdefgh"Muriel Stanley Venne". Profiles of Alberta Women: The Alberta Women's Memory Project. 11 July 2014. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  2. ^Kristofferson, Rob; Ross, Stephanie (4 September 2025). The Art of Solidarity: Labour Arts and Heritage in Canada. Between the Lines. ISBN 978-1-77113-680-8.
  3. ^ abFinkel, Alvin (5 November 2024). "Waltzing With the Angels: The Metis Ironworkers Who Built Edmonton's Downtown". Edmonton City as Museum Project ECAMP. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
  4. ^ abcdef"Muriel Stanley Venne". Alberta Order of Excellence. 25 July 2025. Archived from the original on 3 December 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  5. ^"Muriel Stanley Venne". Alberta Labour History Institute (ALHI): Workers' History / Workers' Stories. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  6. ^ ab"Edmonton activist calls for more research on killers of Indigenous women". CBC News. 15 January 2025. Archived from the original on 30 December 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  7. ^Bear, Leon Crane; Hannant, Larry; Patton, Karissa Robyn (25 November 2021). Bucking Conservatism: Alternative Stories of Alberta from the 1960s and 1970s. Athabasca University Press. p. 10. ISBN 978-1-77199-257-2.
  8. ^ abcFarrell, Jack (24 December 2024). "Pioneering Metis human rights advocate Muriel Stanley Venne dies at 87". Edmonton Journal. Archived from the original on 25 December 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  9. ^ abCarter, Sarah (2005). Unsettled Pasts: Reconceiving the West Through Women's History. University of Calgary Press. pp. 124–125. ISBN 978-1-55238-177-9.
  10. ^ abcdRozyk, Amanda. "Muriel Stanley Venne"(PDF). The Virtual Museum of Métis History and Culture. Archived(PDF) from the original on 21 September 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  11. ^"Challenging Women of Alberta". Royal Alberta Museum. 8 March 2021. Archived from the original on 26 March 2025. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  12. ^ ab"Muriel Stanley Venne". Indspire (in French). 20 November 2014. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  13. ^Peoples, Canada Royal Commission on Aboriginal (1993). Sharing the Harvest: The Road to Self-reliance : Report of the National Round Table on Aboriginal Economic Development and Resources. Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. p. 20. ISBN 978-0-660-15367-4.
  14. ^Suzack, Cheryl; Huhndorf, Shari M.; Perreault, Jeanne; Barman, Jean (1 January 2011). Indigenous Women and Feminism: Politics, Activism, Culture. UBC Press. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-7748-1809-4.
  15. ^ abcdForsythe, Laura; Markides, Jennifer (7 April 2024). Around the Kitchen Table: Métis Aunties' Scholarship. Univ. of Manitoba Press. ISBN 978-1-77284-075-9.
  16. ^The Heritage Registry of Who's who. Heritage Registry of Who's Who. p. 339.
  17. ^Stanton, Kim (15 January 2022). Reconciling Truths: Reimagining Public Inquiries in Canada. UBC Press. pp. 142–143. ISBN 978-0-7748-6668-2.
  18. ^Interim Report, Call Into the Night: An Overview of Violence Against Aboriginal Women (in French). Canada Parliament House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women. 2011. ISBN 978-0-660-66609-9.
  19. ^Jacobs, B. (21 February 2020). "Outrage of Injustice, Vaginas on Display: R V Barton". Journal of Criminology and Forensic Studies. 3 (1): 1–5.
  20. ^Narine, Shari (12 October 2018). "Supreme Court of Canada to hear Cindy Gladue was victimized in life and violent death". Windspeaker.com. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  21. ^ ab"In Memory of Muriel Stanley Venne". Nation Talk. 20 December 2024. Archived from the original on 23 December 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  22. ^Paula Kirman Radical Citizen Media (26 February 2018). Muriel Stanley Venne - Justice for Colten and Tina. Retrieved 2 August 2025 – via YouTube.
  23. ^ abc"Les Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak Mourns Friend, Mentor, and Metis Rights Advocate Muriel Stanley Venne". Newswire. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  24. ^"Esquao Awards". IAAW. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
  25. ^Carter, Sarah; Finkel, Alvin; Fortna, Peter (2010). The West and Beyond: New Perspectives on an Imagined Region. Athabasca University Press. p. 153. ISBN 978-1-897425-80-0.
  26. ^Carlson, Nellie; Goyette, Linda; Steinhauer, Kathleen (3 July 2013). Disinherited Generations: Our Struggle to Reclaim Treaty Rights for First Nations Women and Their Descendants. University of Alberta. p. 134. ISBN 978-0-88864-642-2.
  27. ^ abcde"Muriel Stanley Venne, Métis, 1937-". Native Leaders of Canada. 2008. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  28. ^ ab"Candidates | Muriel Stanley-Venne". Canadian Elections Database. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  29. ^Eagles, Munroe (1991). The Almanac of Canadian Politics. Broadview Press. p. 576. ISBN 978-0-921149-89-7.
  30. ^Hill, Tony L. (2002). Canadian Politics, Riding by Riding: An In-depth Analysis of Canada's 301 Federal Electoral Districts. Prospect Park Press. p. 396. ISBN 978-0-9723436-0-2.
  31. ^"Ms. Muriel Stanley Venne". The Governor General of Canada. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  32. ^Narine, Shari (13 February 2019). "Trudeau sexist and condescending in his dealings, says chief". Windspeaker.com. Archived from the original on 11 March 2023. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  33. ^"Building named for long time human rights advocate Muriel Stanley Venne". Alberta Native News. 25 October 2017. Archived from the original on 12 June 2025. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  34. ^"Province Names Government Building After Indigenous Activist Muriel Stanley Venne". CBC News. 25 October 2017. Archived from the original on 31 December 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  35. ^Edmonton Journal (24 March 2018). Provincial building to carry name of Alberta human rights activist Muriel Stanley Venne. Retrieved 2 August 2025 – via YouTube.
  36. ^"Boudica - Muriel Stanley Venne". Amanta Scott. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  37. ^The Life and Legacy of Muriel Stanley Venne by (author) Christine Mowat. 49th Shelf. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  38. ^Narine, Shari (15 July 2021). "Stories of and by Métis women show beauty of culture, resiliency of spirit". Windspeaker.com. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
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