News
Remembering Dr. Earl Cook
Remembering the life and career of Dr. Earl Cook December 22, 1950 - August 26, 2023
Aug 29, 2023
Posted in: Board of Directors, history, Métis, Press Release, Remembrance, Uncategorized
We are deeply saddened to learn of the sudden passing of Dr. Earl Cook. He was a former Gabriel Dumont Institute (GDI) Board Chair and former Minister of Post-Secondary Education at the Métis Nation–Saskatchewan (MN—S). Additionally, he was a founding member of the Métis Veterans Association, an association that represents the interests of Métis Veterans and commemorates their service. From the GDI Board of Governors and staff, we send our deepest condolences to Dr. Cook’s family and wish to express our gratitude for his years of service to the Saskatchewan Métis.
Dr. Cook was a Saskatchewan Métis man raised in the traditional lifestyle and a fluent Swampy Cree speaker. He served on the GDI Management Board from 1981 to 1982, and the GDI Board of Governors on and off from 1997 to 2021. From 2017 to 2021, Dr. Cook served as the GDI Board Chair as well as the MN—S Minister of Education (2013-2021). During his term, Dr. Cook was instrumental in the creation of the Northern Saskatchewan Indigenous Teacher Education Program (NSITEP), after the NORTEP (Northern Teacher Education Program) program lost funding, and in securing funding for the Gabriel Dumont Scholarship Foundation, Gabriel Dumont College, and the Métis Nation University Sponsorship Program. His love for the North motivated his career as he spent his life dedicated to improving the well-being and education of the Métis.
An instrumental and vocal advocate for Métis people in Saskatchewan, Dr. Cook began his career in the early 1970s when he served as a Community Development Worker for the Métis Society of Saskatchewan in his hometown of Cumberland House. Dr. Cook was a passionate educator, and he taught students from elementary to university in his lengthy career. He was an instructor at the Northern Professional Access College and served on the Indian and Métis Curriculum Advisory Committee, the Saskatchewan Indian Languages Committee, and the Northern Labour Market Committee. He was a faculty member, Director, and Special Advisor to the President/CEO of the NORTEP, Instructor at the Northern Professional Access College, and Coordinator of the Northern Health Strategy. He also worked with the Kikinahk Friendship Centre board in La Ronge and participated in the Association of Friendship Centres of Saskatchewan and the National Association of Friendship Centres. Throughout his career, Dr. Cook remained dedicated to closing the socio-economic gap between Métis and non-Indigenous people.
In 2017, Dr. Cook was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the U of S after decades of altruistic service furthering Indigenous education in the province. In an interview with Global News upon announcement of this honour, Dr. Cook said, “My fondest memory is being part of a Métis local on campus that lobbied for the establishment of a Native Studies department.” He graduated from the U of S with a Bachelor of Education Degree in 1980, and a Postgraduate Diploma in 1985, majoring in Indian and Northern Education, after successfully lobbying for the establishment of the Native Studies Department.
Dr. Cook worked tirelessly right until the end of his life to put the ideals of reconciliation into practice and create a better future for Métis people in Saskatchewan. He has left an indelible mark on education in the province, and his work is carried on by friends, family, and students whose hearts he has touched.
