First Nations honourees recognized with national awards at Rideau Hall
CBC
Three First Nations recipients were among Canadians recognized for their achievements with honours presented by the Governor General this month.
Ruth Doreen Williams was one of 28 people appointed as a member to the Order of Canada — the country's highest civilian honour.
"To have these people, so many people, that are committed to our country and committed to our people and our communities, it's amazing," said Williams, who is Secwépemc from High Bar First Nation in British Columbia but is now registered with Tl'etinqox.
The ceremony, held at Rideau Hall in Ottawa Dec. 11, was presided over by Gov. Gen. Mary Simon, who is Inuk from Kangiqsualujjuaq in northern Quebec, the first Indigenous person to hold the office.
"On behalf of all those whose lives you have touched, I offer my deepest gratitude and heartfelt congratulations," Simon said, addressing the honourees.
Williams was recognized for helping found the All Nations Trust Company, an Indigenous-owned, shareholder-driven financial institution created in the mid-1980s to meet funding needs for Indigenous businesses in British Columbia.
Williams said she and others were inspired to create the company after recognizing the barriers Indigenous communities faced in accessing capital.
She accepted the honour on behalf of the many people who supported her work, a group she described as "enough people to fill the ballroom at Rideau Hall."
"You've got to be surrounded by good people and I've been fortunate that I've been surrounded by good people," she said.
"What someone called me in Shuswap is 'an agent of change,' but to be that you have to have other people that believe in what you believe in and work together," said Williams.
The All Nations Trust Company now has 220 shareholders and continues to support Indigenous entrepreneurs and communities in British Columbia.
The ceremony also presented Meritorious Service Decorations, given to people "who have performed an exceptional deed or activity that brings honour to Canada." Susan Blight, who is Anishinaabe from Couchiching First Nation in northern Ontario, and Hayden King, who is Anishinaabe from Beausoleil First Nation in southern Ontario, received the medal for co-creating the Ogimaa Mikana Project.
Launched in 2013 during the Idle No More movement, the project restored Anishinaabemowin place names across Toronto by updating street signs and billboards, often without permission, as a form of language revitalization and public education.
"We decided to try to do that through a guerilla art campaign that started in the city," said King.
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