A member of the Norway House Cree Nation in northern Manitoba,she was born in Winnipeg.[3] She is the granddaughter of Olympic long distance runner Joe Keeper and the daughter of Joseph I. Keeper,a member of the Order of Canada,and Phyllis Keeper (née Beardy),an Anglican priest.[1]
Keeper studied history and theatre at the University of Winnipeg.[2] Originally planning to become a history professor,she instead became an actor after getting involved in an indigenous theatre company in Winnipeg.[2]
Following the end of North of 60 as a regular series,Keeper continued her role as Michelle Kenidi in several North of 60 television films,[7] and appeared in the films Heater,Skins and On the Corner,until she decided to seek the Liberal nomination in Churchill in 2005.[8]
A partner in the film production firm Kistikan Pictures,[3] she was a producer of Through Black Spruce,[10] as well as the films Road of Iniquity,Sky Stories and REDress Redress Project. In 2014 she participated in the creation of Going Home Star,a Royal Winnipeg Ballet production on the theme of indigenous reconciliation.[11]
Political career
Keeper was elected as a Member of Parliament in the 2006 Canadian federal election,representing the Liberal Party in Churchill.[12] She benefited from a split in the New Democratic Party,which had held the riding for all but one term since 1979. The incumbent,Bev Desjarlais,had resigned from the NDP and run as an independent after losing the NDP nomination to Niki Ashton. The combined vote totals for Ashton and Desjarlais exceeded that of Keeper.
She served as the Official Opposition's Critic for Public Health and Canadian Heritage,and as a Special Advisor for Aboriginal Outreach in the 39th Parliament of Canada.[3]
While Keeper has not sought office since,she continues to work as a political activist. She currently serves as chair of the board of trustees for the Helen Betty Osborne Memorial Foundation,as a member of the advisory committees of the Urban Shaman Gallery,Red Cross Manitoba and Canadians for a New Partnership,and an honorary witness for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.[3]
In addition to her Gemini Award nominations and win, she is the recipient of a National Aboriginal Achievement Award,[14] three American Indian Film Festival awards for acting and producing, and a 2014 Canadian Civil Liberties Association award for Public Engagement.[15] She was named ACTRA's Woman of the Year in 2017.[3] In June 2017, Keeper received both an honorary doctor of letters from Wilfrid Laurier University,[3] and a Governor General's Meritorious Service Medal for the ballet Going Home Star.[16]
Gemini 1986–2011, Canadian Screen Awards 2012–present. Separate awards were presented by gender prior to 2022; a single unified category for best performance regardless of gender has been presented since.
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