Cathy Merrick, the first female grand chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, died Friday after collapsing outside the law courts building in Winnipeg.

Merrick was speaking to media about a court case when she collapsed.

She was given CPR before being rushed away in an ambulance.

Merrick, the former chief of Pimicikamak Cree Nation, was elected as Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs grand chief in October 2022, becoming the first woman to lead the advocacy group in its nearly 35-year history.

She was re-elected to the post in July 2024.