Brooks Arcand-Paul, also known by his
nehiyaw name sîpîysis, is the Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for
Edmonton-West Henday, succeeding outgoing MLA
Jon Carson. He is a member of the
Alberta New Democratic Party
The Alberta New Democratic Party (Alberta NDP; ), is social democratic political party in Alberta, Canada. The party sits on the centre-left to left-wing of the political spectrum and is a provincial Alberta affiliate of the federal New Democra ...
.
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Life and career
Arcand-Paul grew up on the Alexander First Nation
Alexander First Nation () is a First Nations band government, headquartered west of Morinville, Alberta. This First Nation is part of the Cree ethno-linguistic group, is a member of the Yellowhead Tribal Council (a regional grouping of several ...
located north-west of Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...
. He is a direct descendent of catchistahwayskum, a nehiyaw leader who adhered to Treaty 6
Treaty 6 is the sixth of the numbered treaties that were signed by the Canadian Crown and various First Nations between 1871 and 1877. It is one of a total of 11 numbered treaties signed between the Canadian Crown and First Nations. Specifi ...
in 1877 at Fort Edmonton
Fort Edmonton (also named Edmonton House) was the name of a series of Trading post, trading posts of the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) from 1795 to 1914, all of which were located on the north banks of the North Saskatchewan River in what is now ce ...
. Arcand-Paul’s traditional name sîpîysis means “little river” in nehiyawewin (Cree).
He graduated from the University of Alberta
The University of Alberta (also known as U of A or UAlberta, ) is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta, and Henry Marshall Tory, t ...
with an undergraduate degree in sociology
Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...
and political science. Arcand-Paul later graduated from the University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa (), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a Official bilingualism in Canada, bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ot ...
law school in 2016. He articled
Apprenticeship is a system for training a potential new practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study. Apprenticeships may also enable practitioners to gain a license to practice in a regulate ...
for the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General, and was called to both the Ontario and Alberta Bars.
Prior to being elected MLA, Arcand-Paul served as legal counsel for his First Nation. As a lawyer, he practiced in Aboriginal, employment, and commercial law, working for both boutique and large law firms before his work with the Alexander First Nation. In 2014, Arcand-Paul joined the board of directors for the Indigenous Bar Association, a non-profit organization representing First Nations, Inuit, and Métis legal professionals, and served as their vice-president until the 2023 Alberta provincial election. In May 2023, Arcand-Paul was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for the riding of Edmonton-West Henday.
Electoral history
2023 general election
References
Alberta New Democratic Party MLAs
Living people
Cree politicians
Year of birth missing (living people)
Canadian LGBTQ people in provincial and territorial legislatures
21st-century Canadian LGBTQ people
Two-spirit people
21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
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