Statement made on 12 March 2008 by Senator Lillian Eva Dyck
Hon. Lillian Eva Dyck:
Honourable senators, on Friday, March 7, I had the great pleasure of attending the fifteenth annual National Aboriginal Achievement Awards gala show in Toronto. The National Aboriginal Achievement Awards were established to encourage and celebrate excellence in the Aboriginal community.
Each year 12 recipients are recognized for their outstanding accomplishments in various careers ranging from science and technology to the arts. In addition, an award is given to an outstanding young achiever, and another award is given to someone with outstanding lifetime accomplishments. These awards are one of the highest honours that the Aboriginal community bestows upon its own achievers.
One of the award recipients was from the University of Saskatchewan. Dr. Marie Ann Battiste, a Mi'kmaq woman, received the education award. Dr. Battiste is a professor in the College of Education and Director of the Aboriginal Educational Research Centre of the University of Saskatchewan. She is also Co-director of the Aboriginal Learning Knowledge Centre, a national centre of the Canadian Council on Learning. Dr. Battiste is an internationally known scholar in the field of Aboriginal epistemology. She has conducted award winning research and published extensively on Aboriginal ways of knowing, anti-racism and decolonization of mainstream education.
Honourable senators, in addition to honouring the achievements of Aboriginal people, the annual National Aboriginal Achievement Awards gala showcases Aboriginal musicians, singers, comedians, dancers and so on. I encourage you to watch the televised version of the gala, which will air on APTN and Global on March 22 at 8 p.m., Eastern Standard Time.
Congratulations are due to Roberta Jamieson, the Chief Executive Officer of the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation, and Jennifer Podemski, the Creative Producer, for putting on yet another wonderful gala.