Tina Keeper
Encyclopedia
Tina Keeper, OM
(born March 20, 1962), is a Cree
activist, producer, former actress and former member of the Canadian House of Commons
.
Keeper is best known for her role as RCMP officer Michelle Kenidi in the CBC Television
series North of 60
, about the fictional aboriginal community of Lynx River
. She also hosted a relief concert for the 1997 Manitoba
flood. In 1993, she starred in the Canada Award
-winning short docudrama For Angela
, dramatizing Rhonda Gordon's response to racist taunting on a Winnipeg
city bus.
Keeper was born in Winnipeg
, Manitoba
. She is the granddaughter of Olympic long distance runner Joe Keeper
and daughter of Joseph I. Keeper (Norway House Cree Nation), member of the Order of Canada and Rev. Dr. Phyllis Keeper (née Beardy, Muskrat Dam First Nation). Her siblings, Joy, Lorne and Barry are involved in the arts, media and education fields. Her maternal uncle is Anglican Bishop Gordon Beardy.
Keeper is a member of the Norway House Cree Nation
, and has been involved in a variety of social issues, such as suicide prevention and violence against women. She has produced initiatives in public education to build bridges between the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in the province of Manitoba.
She was elected in 2006 Canadian election
as the Liberal Party
candidate in Churchill
. Keeper served as the Official Opposition's Critic for Public Health and Canadian Heritage and as Special Advisor for Aboriginal Outreach in the parliament that followed.
In the 2008 Canadian election
she lost her bid for reelection. Currently, she is partner in a film and television company, Kistikan Pictures.
Order of Manitoba
The Order of Manitoba is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Instituted in 1999 when Lieutenant Governor Peter M...
(born March 20, 1962), is a Cree
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
activist, producer, former actress and former member of the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
.
Keeper is best known for her role as RCMP officer Michelle Kenidi in the CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
series North of 60
North of 60
North of 60 is a mid-1990s Canadian television series depicting life in the sub-Arctic northern boreal forest . It first aired on CBC Television in 1992 and was syndicated around the world. It is set in the fictional community of Lynx River, a primarily Native-run town depicted as being in the...
, about the fictional aboriginal community of Lynx River
Lynx River
The fictional town of Lynx River was created in the CBC television series North of 60. In the series Lynx River was located near Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories...
. She also hosted a relief concert for the 1997 Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
flood. In 1993, she starred in the Canada Award
Canada Award
The Canada Award is presented by Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television during its Gemini Awards to honour excellence in "mainstream" English-language television programming that "reflects the racial and cultural diversity of Canada." It was introduced in 1988 as the Multiculturalism Award, and...
-winning short docudrama For Angela
For Angela
For Angela is a 1993 short docudrama co-directed by Daniel Prouty and Nancy Trites Botkin, dramatizing the experiences of Rhonda Gordon and her daughter, Angela, who were the victims of racist harassment on a Winnipeg city bus....
, dramatizing Rhonda Gordon's response to racist taunting on a Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
city bus.
Keeper was born in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
. She is the granddaughter of Olympic long distance runner Joe Keeper
Joe Keeper
Joseph Benjamin Keeper was a Canadian long distance runner, and a member of the 1912 Canadian Olympic team.Keeper, a member of the Norway House Cree First Nation, was born at Walker Lake, Manitoba...
and daughter of Joseph I. Keeper (Norway House Cree Nation), member of the Order of Canada and Rev. Dr. Phyllis Keeper (née Beardy, Muskrat Dam First Nation). Her siblings, Joy, Lorne and Barry are involved in the arts, media and education fields. Her maternal uncle is Anglican Bishop Gordon Beardy.
Keeper is a member of the Norway House Cree Nation
Norway House Cree Nation
The Norway House Cree Nation is based at Norway House, Manitoba which is located on the Playgreen Lake section of the Nelson River system. The people are Woodland Cree from the Rocky Cree group. They are in possession of a number of reserves but population is centered at IR Norway House 17...
, and has been involved in a variety of social issues, such as suicide prevention and violence against women. She has produced initiatives in public education to build bridges between the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in the province of Manitoba.
She was elected in 2006 Canadian election
Canadian federal election, 2006
The 2006 Canadian federal election was held on January 23, 2006, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 39th Parliament of Canada. The Conservative Party of Canada won the greatest number of seats: 40.3% of seats, or 124 out of 308, up from 99 seats in 2004, and 36.3% of votes:...
as the Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
candidate in Churchill
Churchill (electoral district)
Churchill is a federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1935. It covers northern Manitoba, a vast wilderness area dotted with small municipalities and First Nations reserves...
. Keeper served as the Official Opposition's Critic for Public Health and Canadian Heritage and as Special Advisor for Aboriginal Outreach in the parliament that followed.
In the 2008 Canadian election
Canadian federal election, 2008
The 2008 Canadian federal election was held on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 40th Canadian Parliament after the previous parliament had been dissolved by the Governor General on September 7, 2008...
she lost her bid for reelection. Currently, she is partner in a film and television company, Kistikan Pictures.