Manitoba Grand Chief Cathy Merrick dies after collapsing outside courthouse

WINNIPEG — Tributes poured in Friday for Grand Chief Cathy Merrick of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, who died after collapsing outside the Winnipeg Law Courts building.

Merrick, the first woman elected to the role, was talking to reporters about two court cases when she said she felt dizzy and fell to the ground.

Fire and paramedic crews arrived, performed chest compressions and carried Merrick away on a stretcher to an ambulance, which sped off with its siren on.

The assembly posted a statement to its website late Friday afternoon, calling Merrick “a trailblazing leader,” as well as someone whose “courage, vision and leadership will forever inspire us.”

“She approached her work with joy, compassion, thoughtfulness and a spirituality that was grounded in the belief that we are all equal in the eyes of the Creator and that we all deserve to live a good life,” Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said in a press release.

Flags outside the legislature were lowered.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau posted a message to social media, where he said Merrick’s death was “shocking and heartbreaking.”

“She was a tireless advocate for First Nations in Manitoba,” said Dan Vandal, Manitoba’s representative in the federal cabinet.

Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham posted on social media that Merrick’s “leadership, strength and compassion touched many lives.”

Merrick took over the helm of the chiefs assembly in 2022, when her predecessor, Arlen Dumas, had been removed over sexual harassment allegations. She was reelected earlier this year.

Merrick was known for her compassion and worked to support people in need and those who had experienced trauma.

She supported families of the victims of serial killer Jeremy Skibicki, pushing long and hard for authorities to search a landfill where the remains of two of the four Indigenous women are believed to be.

Police and the former Progressive Conservative government refused to conduct a search, citing potential safety hazards from asbestos and other material. The NDP government, elected last year, and the federal Liberal government later agreed to put up $40 million for the effort.

Merrick championed reform of the child welfare system, in Manitoba, where roughly 90 per cent of kids in care are Indigenous. She also called for better transportation, health care and other services in First Nation communities.

Her passion was marked Friday by the chief justices of Manitoba’s provincial court, Court of King’s Bench and Court of Appeal.

“Grand Chief Merrick was a passionate and caring leader of her people. She brought forward systemic issues and engaged openly with the courts to carve a new path forward together,” they said in a joint statement.

This report for The Canadian Press was first published on Sept. 6, 2024.

Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press