Patrick Scott, who has passed away aged 77, came to the North to cover the Berger Inquiry hearings for the CBC. He stayed, becoming a longtime advocate for Indigenous rights, proud father and storyteller.
Born on June 11, 1949 in Calgary, Patrick grew up in Ontario before coming north in the 1970s as a cameraman travelling with Justice Thomas Berger.
Berger was examining the social, environmental, and economic impacts of a proposed massive gas pipeline. The inquiry team – and Scott – spent weeks travelling to communities across the region.
In the process of covering the Berger Inquiry, “I think he realized that he really does care about humanity, people in general,” said former Tulita Chief Paul Andrew, himself a CBC broadcaster for decades. Andrew met Patrick when the inquiry reached Tulita.
“In particular, the more he found out about how Indigenous people were treated over the years, I think he became more and more passionate about Indigenous people.”
Over the decades that followed, Patrick dedicated himself to supporting Indigenous rights, self-government and northern communities.
He spent many years working on Tłı̨chǫ Agreement negotiations and the Dehcho First Nations self-government agreement process, becoming known as a respected ally and advocate.
The Tłı̨chǫ Government, in a statement, thanked him for “his many years of devoted service to the people of the Tłı̨chǫ Nation and the people of the North.”
“He devoted his life to building a stronger future and believed in the importance of Indigenous self government and the rights of our people,” that statement read.
Dehcho First Nations Grand Chief Herb Norwegian, who also first met Patrick while he was covering the Berger Inquiry, later connected with him again in Fort Simpson, where Patrick lived with his family.
Patrick became involved in Dehcho political and governance work during a pivotal period for the region, said Norwegian.
When regional claim negotiations shifted and communities began moving forward independently, Patrick became the first executive director of the Dehcho Tribal Council and remained involved for many years, helping guide the organization as it evolved into the Dehcho First Nations.
“He has been there right at the beginning,” Norwegian said. “Towards the end, he got sick, but he still hung in there.
“He did everything that he could to continue to keep governments at the table. He just did some really great stuff.”
‘Like everyone’s dad’
Patrick had been living with prostate cancer for years. Despite challenges in the past year, daughter Itoah said his grandchildren remained a source of joy and comfort. Itoah hopes her father will be remembered as someone who always put his family first, no matter what.
“He was happiest when all of his grandchildren were around him, and so very fitting that he was surrounded by them yesterday,” Itoah said on the day following Patrick’s July 15 passing.
“Our family has really a lot of wonderful memories of my dad with all of his grandkids, and they all loved him dearly.”
“He has a big family, and he was very, very proud of his family. He was very proud of the fact that his family had done well,” said Andrew.
He is survived by wife Gabrielle and his children and grandchildren: Amos (Kyla), and Maslyn, Sadeya; Ouri (Jergus), Clement and Kamil; Ben (Carrie); Dehga (Steve), Tyler, Nakaiya, Tayen and predeceased by our angel Lodune; Dahti (Jonathan), Sahtle, Nailia, and Tadecho; Itoah (London), Setiya and K’ilaa; Sadetło (Paul); Jawah (Kyle), Kaazhe and baby Kaylo.
For those closest to him, Patrick’s greatest legacy was the way he cared for people. Itoah said her father was “a very warm, kind, loving person.” She said there was little difference between the person they saw in the community and the person the family knew at home.
“He really is someone who showed up for the whole community the way he showed up for us as a dad,” said Itoah.
“He was like everyone’s dad. He took care of people. He wouldn’t hesitate to drop what he was doing to help someone, and he would do that for all kinds of people – every day.”
A few years ago, Andrew had to go to Edmonton for medical tests and wanted to drive. Patrick told Andrew he wouldn’t be able to drive back by himself, and chose to accompany Andrew to Edmonton.
He said Patrick attended all of Andrew’s appointments with him, took him to the grocery store and made sure he got back to the hotel.
“That’s when I realized this man is special. This man is a real good friend, and I later discovered not only to me, but he had a lot of friends in Yellowknife and other parts of the NWT,” said Andrew.
“He is one of those guys that just gave and really did not expect anything in return. He gave because that’s what he does.”
‘When he cared, he really cared deeply’
Patrick earned a PhD in storytelling from the University of Dundee and spent much of his career as a journalist, filmmaker and communicator.
He wrote three books: Stories Told about the Berger Inquiry, Talking Tools about oral traditions in a contemporary society, and We are a River – co-authored with Andrew – about 100 years since the signing of Treaty 11.
“He recognized the importance of Indigenous people and their storytelling, and I don’t think a lot of people do that,” said Andrew.
Itoah said her father’s dedication to Indigenous rights shaped the way she and her siblings viewed the world from an early age. She said each of his children has since found their own way to carry those lessons forward, with their work spanning such areas as birthwork, Indigenous land stewardship, arts, land claims and self-governance.
Itoah described Patrick as a compassionate and creative person who was never afraid to speak up when he saw something he believed was wrong.
“When he cared, he really cared deeply,” said Andrew. “He was a very strong advocate for a number of different things, including homelessness, people on the streets, injured workers, or people getting what they need in land claims as a negotiator.”
Itoah said his love of connecting with people was one of the things that defined him. She said the overwhelming support from the community following her father’s passing showed just how many lives he touched.
“He was very much an extrovert and he loved being out in the community talking to people, connecting with them. And he knew, honestly, so many people,” said Itoah.
“He was the type of person who, if you go with him to the grocery store, you’re stuck there for a couple hours while he talks to everyone.”
Itoah hopes future generations remember her father for his compassion, openness and lifelong commitment to helping others, like his support for the Run for Our Lives fundraiser through the Stanton Territorial Hospital Foundation.
Patty Olexin-Lang, executive director of the foundation, said Patrick’s decision to turn his cancer journey into an opportunity to help others reflected his generosity, courage and determination.
Last year, Patrick organized a head-shave fundraiser with proceeds split between charities United Way NWT, Inclusion NWT and the Run for Our Lives campaign.
According to Olexin-Lang, Patrick’s willingness to share such a personal moment during his cancer journey brought people together and showed the strength of the support surrounding him. She said the foundation and Run for Our Lives committee were grateful for Patrick’s contribution and the awareness he helped bring to cancer initiatives in the territory.
“It was an amazing day and the room was filled with tears and laughter,” said Olexin-Lang.
“He’s somebody that will be greatly missed for everything he’s done.”
Norwegian said one of the things he remembers most about Patrick was his sense of humour and the way he brought warmth to meetings and gatherings. The image of Patrick that remains most vivid for him is the one he carried throughout their decades of friendship.
“He was a happy guy, hippie clothes, fluffy and grey hair and a charming smile – that was the picture that was lasered in my mind the moment I heard him passing on, there, yesterday,” said Norwegian.
Norwegian said Patrick’s influence will continue to be felt in the Dehcho and beyond.
“He was a rallying point. All the leadership and Elders and everybody wanted somebody that we could depend on, somebody that we could rally around. He was the guy. He brought us together and he did some really good stuff there,” he said.
“Everybody liked him. He was well known by all the Elders and the Elders loved him. He was able to connect with just about everyone.
“We loved him and he was very much part of Dehcho, and we still see him rooted deeply in our hearts and in our minds, and he’ll be there for a long, long time.”
Alice Twa contributed reporting.
Correction: July 18, 2026 – 8:10 MT. We initially stated Patrick worked on negotiations related to the Thaidene Nene protected area. While he worked on a good many negotiations in the NWT, his family says that was not one of them. We’ve amended the article accordingly.
