Harper was elected chief of the Red Sucker Lake Indian Band in 1978, serving for four years and worked as a policy analyst prior to entering politics.

He was a key factor in the rejection of the Meech Lake Accord, a proposed amendment of the Canadian constitution.

In 1981, Harper contested and won the sprawling northern Manitoba riding of Rupertsland for the New Democratic Party (NDP) to become the first Treaty Indian to be elected as a provincial politician.

Harper was dropped from the Cabinet on September 9, 1987, after being involved in a car accident while driving under the influence of alcohol.

Harper subsequently pleaded guilty to refusing a breathalyzer test, leaving the scene of an accident and driving while impaired.

Each day, Harper, while holding an eagle feather, denied unanimous consent, so the resolution could not be debated.

[5] The same year, he won the Stanley Knowles Humanitarian Award, was voted as the "Newsmaker of the Year in Canada" by the Canadian Press, was awarded the title of Honorary Chief for Life by Red Sucker Lake First Nation, and received a commemorative medal of Canada from the governor general for his efforts in public service.

[citation needed] Harper resigned from the Manitoba legislature on November 30, 1992 with the intention of running in the federal election due in 1993.

Elijah Harper was appointed commissioner of the Indian Claims Commission on January 21, 1999, and remained in demand as a speaker until his death.

A film based on Harper's life focusing in particular on the month of June 1990, when Harper blocked the Manitoba legislature from voting on the Meech Lake Accord, was directed by Paul Unwin and played in 2007 at the Vancouver International Film Festival.

I will always remember the image of Elijah Harper's courage and determination and his profound conviction", stated Ghislain Picard, Chief of the Assembly of the First Nations of Quebec and Labrador.