Willie Dunn

• Born — 14 August 1941 • Birthplace — Montreal, Quebec, Canada • Birth Name — William Lawrence Dunn • Died — 5 August 2013 • Place of death — Ottawa, Ontario, Canada • Occupation — Film director, producer, screenwriter, musician William Lawrence Dunn (August 14, 1941 – August 5, 2013) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, film director and politician. Born in Montreal, he was of mixed Mi'kmaq and Scottish/Irish background. Dunn often highlighted indigenous issues in his work.

Born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Dunn was a singer and acoustic guitarist. He released several full-length albums of recorded music including Willie Dunn (1971), The Pacific (1980) and Metallic (1999). Metallic reprises material from both earlier releases. Dunn's most famous song, "I Pity the Country", was a critique of colonialism and anti-indigenous racism; he was also known for the song "Son of the Sun", which Kashtin covered on their second album Innu. In 2004 Dunn released the album Son of the Sun with sixteen songs (including three live recordings). He participated in the Culturally Diverse First Peoples Arts Showcase tour in 1998, and the Nations in a Circle spotlight of 2002. He was inducted into the Aboriginal Walk of Honour in 2005. Dunn died in Ottawa on August 5, 2013, aged 71. His songs "I Pity the Country", "Son of the Sun" and "Peruvian Dream" are featured on the 2014 compilation album Native North America, Vol. 1. Creation Never Sleeps, Creation Never Dies, a compilation of songs from throughout his career, was released in 2021 on Light in the Attic Records.

A longtime member of the New Democratic Party, Dunn defeated Mohamed Bassuny to win the party's federal nomination for Ottawa—Vanier in the 1993 federal election. He received 3,155 votes (6.50%), finishing fourth against Liberal incumbent Jean-Robert Gauthier.

• Year — Album • 1971 — Willie Dunn • 1972 — Willie Dunn • 1980 — The Pacific • 1984 — The Vanity of Human Wishes

• Year — Album • 1999 — Metallic • 2004 — Son of the Sun • 2021 — Creation Never Sleeps, Creation Never Dies: The Willie Dunn Anthology

• Year — Single — CAN Country — Album • 1971 — "Schooldays" — 35 — Willie Dunn • 1973 — "I Pity the Country" — 79