But he lived outside the reserve because his mother was stripped of her Indian status when she married a Métis (a person of mixed indigenous and European descent).

[peacock prose][citation needed] He co-wrote, with Justice Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, the 1993 book In The Rapids: Navigating the Future of First Nations.

Mercredi is an advocate of non-violent methods for change and has been nominated by the Government of India for the Gandhi Peace Prize.

In April 2005, Mercredi announced he would challenge Bev Desjarlais for the New Democratic Party nomination in the riding of Churchill for the next federal election, but he later withdrew his candidacy.

He is the former chancellor of University College of the North in northern Manitoba, and delivered his inaugural address at a ceremony on November 6, 2007.

[8] On October 22, 2015, Ovide Mercredi launched his book of poetry called My Silent Drum published by Aboriginal Issues Press.