'So much more than a grand chief': Leaders pay tribute to late AMC Grand Chief Cathy Merrick

First Nations leaders said they have lost a great leader, a warrior and a powerful voice, but vowed to continue the advocacy work of Cathy Merrick as they paid tribute to the late grand chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs on Saturday.

"She was so much more than a grand chief," Pimicikamak Chief David Monias said at a Saturday morning news conference, as leaders including Manitoba's premier gathered to mourn Merrick.

"The person you guys knew as a grand chief was first a fellow wife, a mother, a grandmother, a sister and a friend to everybody she knew."

Merrick, 62, was rushed to hospital and pronounced dead after she collapsed while speaking to reporters outside of Winnipeg's law courts on Friday afternoon, shortly after denouncing what she called "a gross miscarriage of justice" following the acquittal of a Manitoba corrections officer charged in the 2021 death of William Ahmo, a First Nations man who was an inmate at the Headingley Correctional Centre.

Tributes for Merrick poured in from across the country Friday, including from Manitoba Métis Federation President David Chartrand, Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Manitoba Lt.-Gov. Anita Neville, as well as several other MLAs, members of Parliament, the Winnipeg Police Service and RCMP. 

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers also held a moment of silence for Merrick before their game Saturday. 

"She was a trailblazer," Willie Moore, the Assembly of First Nations regional chief representing Manitoba, said at Saturday's news conference.

"She made history, and it resonated with a lot of people, and you can see that now [with the] condolences pouring in from coast to coast."

Even when conversations were difficult, Merrick would always leave with a handshake and a hug, said Moore.

Monias said Merrick "worked for the people her entire life."

"And that's how she went — by being the voice for the people who could not speak for themselves, who are not here, who are missing," he said. "She died doing what she does best, [and] for that I am grateful."

Merrick was a problem-solver who brought people together, even in death, said Monias.

"That's the reason why I nominated her [for the AMC role] — because she was the best person for the job," he said.

Merrick is survived by her husband, Todd, three children and eight grandchildren.