Edward John is a First Nations Summit elected Commissioner. He is serving his first term as Commissioner and was elected by the First Nations Summit Chiefs in Assembly in April 2024. He is from the Tl’azt’en First Nation, is a Hereditary Chief fluent in Dene, and previously served as elected Chief and an elected Councillor.
He has been involved in the advancement of Indigenous rights and the treaty negotiations process for decades. Edward was instrumental in the creation of the First Nations Summit (FNS) and the BC Treaty Commission, and served on the FNS Task Group for 11 consecutive terms. From 2011 to 2016, Edward served as the North American representative to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. Edward was also part of the negotiations and adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by the UN General Assembly. He was also Minister for Children and Families in BC and Special Advisor on Aboriginal Child Welfare to the Minister of Children and Families in BC. Edward also contributed to the establishment of the Dene Law Centre and the Yinka Dene Language Institute.
Edward holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Victoria in sociology, and a law degree from the University of British Columbia. He also received Honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from both the University of Northern British Columbia and the University of Victoria.