Early Life
Fontaine was born at the Sagkeeng First Nation on the Fort Alexander Reserve in Manitoba, about 150 kilometers north of Winnipeg. His first language is Ojibway. He is descended from Métis who were granted Indian status three years after the signing of Treaty One. He is the first cousin of Vince Fontaine, leader of Juno award-winning rock band Eagle & Hawk.
In his youth he attended a residential school operated by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate at Sagkeeng. He also attended the Assiniboia Residential School in Winnipeg and he graduated from Powerview Collegiate in 1961.
In 1973, Fontaine was elected Chief of the Sagkeeng community for two consecutive terms. Upon completion of his mandate, he and his family moved to the Yukon, where he was a regional director general with the Canadian government.
Read more about this topic: Phil Fontaine
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