First Nations leader Jason Goodstriker has died

Former Blood Tribe councillor Jason Goodstriker has died.

Calgary — First Nations leader and Fair Deal Panel member Jason Goodstriker has died, it was announced Thursday.

Goodstriker was a councillor with the Blood Tribe and was a former Alberta Regional Chief for the Assembly of First Nations.

He was most recently named as a member of the Fair Deal Panel by Premier Jason Kenney, which has been holding town hall meetings around the province to consult Albertans on how to secure a fair deal in Canadian federation.

Kenney issued a statement Thursday, calling Goodstriker, "a passionate Albertan."

"He told me that he was energized by the opportunity to listen to Albertans across the province, and to tackle important issues about Alberta’s role in Confederation," Kenney said in a statement.

"Jason had a huge heart. He brought joy everywhere he went. He was devoted to his community, and was a loving husband to Tiffany and father to their children.

"He was proud to work in the oil and gas industry, and to fight for Indigenous people to benefit fully from the development of our natural resources."

Kenney and Goodstriker attended high school together at Notre Dame College in Saskatchewan.

"He will be greatly missed by so many," said Kenney.

Goodstriker was also part of a ceremony that gave former premier Rachel Notley the Blackfoot name Brave Heart Woman at an International Peace Powwow last year.

A Fair Deal Panel town hall scheduled for Thursday in Airdrie has been postponed, however a meeting in Medicine Hat on Friday will go ahead.

A cause of death has not been released.