Two Sask. residents among Canada's newest Order of Canada recipients
CBC
The motto for members of the Order of Canada stood out to Michelle Good when she got a letter in September, informing her she had been selected for the highest civilian honour.
“They desire a better country.”
That motto underlines a key motivation in her life, Good said in an interview on Wednesday, after the 2025 recipients were announced publicly.
“I think that is a fair assessment of my views and of my work, which contributes to a more compassionate, inclusive, diverse and creative society,” she said. “It is just the honor of my life. It's an amazing thing.”
Good, a lawyer and writer, is a survivor of both the Sixties Scoop and the intergenerational trauma of the residential schools system.
She's a member of Red Pheasant Cree Nation, a strong advocate for meaningful reconciliation, and has played a key role in amending laws to better serve Indigenous people and communities.
The Order of Canada, awarded by the governor general, recognizes people who have benefitted the country through extraordinary contributions, achievements, dedication to community and service to the nation.
“It's really overwhelming to think that somebody would think that highly of me to nominate me, and then for the nomination to result in an award,” Good said. “It's very moving, and I wish my parents were alive to see it.”
Her current work focuses on a criminal code amendment that would specifically criminalize hate speech against Indigenous peoples, including the denial of the harms caused by residential schools, she said.
“If I can advocate for that in any way, believe me, I will. This is probably one of the most important … changes to the law that we could see,” she said.
“There's precedent for it. There's an existing section of the Criminal Code that prohibits hate speech and anti-Semitism for basically the same reasons. So why should that not also be able to apply to Indigenous people?”
Another Saskatchewan resident, Wayne Brownlee, was also selected as a recipient this year.
Brownlee, a retired business leader and philanthropist, was instrumental in the privatization of PotashCorp (which later became Nutrien).
Through volunteer service and financial donations, he has made lasting contributions to charitable and community organizations supporting education, heritage and health care in Saskatchewan.
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