Annette Francis
APTN National News
The annual Indspire awards were announced Tuesday in a special ceremony on Parliament Hill
The 14 Metis, First Nation, and Inuit recipients of the awards were hosted by Andrew Scheer, Speaker of the House of Commons.
Paulette Tremblay, a Mohawk from Six Nations is the recipient of the education award. Tremblay has worked for the past 40 years in the public sector, an author of many education reports and the associate professor with the Indigenous Knowledge Centre at Six Nations Polytechnic.
Tremblay said she’s delighted to be acknowledged for the work she’s done and continues to do to encourage youth to achieve their goals.
“I’m now working with administrators and financial managers and certification programs across the country, educating them to help them become better leaders in their communities and I think youth are the people who are going to lead the knowledge and skills to make a difference in this world,” said Tremblay.
Brenda LaRose, a Metis from Manitoba is the winner of the business and commerce award.
LaRose runs Higgins International, an executive search firm she owns that has been recognized for its success in placing Indigenous executives at senior management positions across Canada.
She said she’s honoured and privileged to receive the award.
“There’s so many opportunities now. Our communities have a lot of support, a lot of mentors from Indspire in the last 10 years,” she said. “You can reach out and you can ask people for help or for advice or mentorship and I know all the award winners would be willing to do that.”
The awards will be presented at a gala in February at in Alberta.
For a complete list of the recipients click here.
