Photo courtesy of indspire.ca
Another honour will be given to the man who headed the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Murray Sinclair will be the recipient of the lifetime achievement award by the INDSPIRE organization.
The award is the highest honour the Indigenous community bestows upon its own achievers.
Fourteen outstanding Indigenous Canadians will receive the awards. While the award winners were announced today, the official awards presentation ceremony will take place at a later day and will be broadcast live on television.
Awards will be presented in categories, which include youth, law, business, education and culture to name a few.
There are no winners from Saskatchewan this year.
The following is the complete list of INDSPIRE award winners for 2016-2017:
Lifetime Achievement: Murray Sinclair – St. Peter’s Indian Reserve – Manitoba
Arts: Tanya Tagaq – Inuit – Cambridge Bay, Nunavut
Business & Commerce: Phillip “Jerry” Asp – Tahltan Nation – British Columbia
Culture, Heritage & Spirituality: Doreen Spence – Saddle Lake – Alberta
Culture, Heritage & Spirituality: Jan Longboat – Six Nations of the Grand River – Ontario
Education: Nathan Matthew – Simpcw First Nation – British Columbia
Health: Katsi Cook – Akwesasne First Nation – Québec
Law & Justice: Kimberly R. Murray – Kahnasatake – Québec
Politics: Cece Hodgson-McCauley – Sahtu Dene – Northwest Territories
Public Service: Duncan McCue – Chippewas of Georgina Island – Ontario
Sports: Heather Kashman – Métis Red River Settlement – Manitoba
Youth – First Nation: Thomas Dymond – Bear River First Nation – Nova Scotia
Youth – Inuit: Maatalii Okalik – Inuit – Nunavut
Youth – Métis: Josh Butcher – Métis Nation of Alberta
The Indspire Awards were created in 1993 in conjunction with the United Nations International Decade of Indigenous People.