(Redirected from Yvon Dumont)'W. Yvon Dumont', O.M. (born
January 21,
1951, in
St. Laurent, Manitoba) is a
Manitoba politician and office-holder. In
1993, he became the first member of Manitoba's
Métis community to be appointed as the province's
Lieutenant-Governor.
He became involved in the
Manitoba Métis Federation in
1967, and became its Director for the
Interlake region in
1972. He was chosen Executive Vice-President of the Federation in
1973, and served as its President from
1984 to
1993.
Dumont was also a founding member of the
Native Council of Canada in
1972, and served as President of the
Métis National Council from
1988 to
1993. He has participated as a representative of the MMF at Canadian
First Minister's Conferences, and has been actively involved in constitutional debates concerning Canada's aboriginal and Métis peoples. Dumont has rejected the integration of Métis services into larger aboriginal institutions, expressing concern that Métis distinctiveness could be lost.
Dumont has also been a municipal councillor in St. Laurent, and was on the Board of Governors for the
University of Manitoba. He received a
Manitoba Métis Federation Award in
1993, and a
National Aboriginal Achievement Award in
1996.
Dumont's appointment as Lt. Governor of Manitoba coincided with a national reappraisal of Métis leader
Louis Riel's role in the province's creation. Once regarded as a rebel and an outlaw, Riel has in recent years been accepted as a
Father of Confederation for his role in establishing a provisional government in the
Red River settlement. The appointment of Dumont as Lt. Governor undoubtedly reflected this changed perspective.
The position of Lt. Governor is largely ceremonial, and Dumont had very little influence over the
Progressive Conservative government of
Gary Filmon.
Dumont was appointed to the
Order of Manitoba in
2001. He ran again for the leadership of the MMF in
2003, but was defeated by
David Chartrand.