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Announcer: The following cbc special presentation is:
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Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX
Announcer 1: This is the first first nation--
[announcers speaking over each other]
♪ ♪
Tina keeper: Welcome to the 30th anniversary
Of the indspire awards.
- I'm tina keeper. - I'm dallas soonias.
- And I'm kind of freaking out. - Just read the words and smile.
Well, I just never thought I'd be here like this,
You know, with you.
You're an icon.
Well, get used to it because tonight's show
Is all about icons.
Good point.
We are so proud to share stories of 12 visionaries
Who transcend barriers and transform
The fabric of our society.
We also look back at 30 years of indspire awards
And reflect on the powerful legacy of over 400 laureates
Who illuminated the path for future generations.
Including you, dallas.
You received the award for sports in 2021
As the first indigenous player
Of the canadian national men's volleyball team.
You represented canada internationally.
And you're calling me an icon?
Well, you are.
I mean, you won the indspire award in 2004
For the arts.
And you're this legendary actor and producer.
And you showed us how to see ourselves
And be proud of ourselves.
Miigwetch.
Having role models is good medicine.
And that's what this show is all about.
- [film reel ticking] - ♪ ♪
Tina: To pay tribute to 30 years of the indspire awards
Is juno award-winning fawn wood with "remember me."
♪ [singing] ♪
Announcer 1: Tonight, we are here to guide you
Through the forest of achievement,
Portage you around the waters of accomplishment,
And tell you great stories of people doing great things.
Announcer 2: Please join me in welcoming roberta jamieson
And tantoo cardinal.
Announcer 3: Dr. Wilton littlechild.
Announcer 4: Buffy sainte-marie is the 1998
National aboriginal lifetime achievement award recipient.
♪ remember me
♪ when the sun comes up in the morning sky
♪ there I will be
♪ soaring with the eagle so high
♪ feeling free
♪ remember me
♪ down the road
♪ hand in hand
♪ you and me
♪ [singing] ♪
[applause]
Announcer 1: We hope that the men and women
Honoured here tonight will inspire young people everywhere
To go out and to do great things.
Announcer 2: Tonight's award recipient for sports:
Gino odjick!
Announcer 3: The honourable leona aglukkaq.
Announcer 4: Richard wagamese.
Announcer 5: Singer and songwriter kelly fraser.
Announcer 6: Murray sinclair continues to guide us
On the path ahead.
♪ remember me
♪ when the sun comes up in the morning sky
♪ there I will be
♪ soaring with the eagle so high
♪ feeling free
♪ remember me
♪ down the road
♪ hand in hand
♪ you and me
♪ [singing] ♪
[crowd cheering]
Man: Today's a good day to win an award.
♪ ♪
Announcer: The indspire awards are brought to you by:
Indspire: Supporting indigenous achievement and excellence;
Government of canada;
Shell canada: Powering lives and livelihoods
Through our products and activities.
Sible by:
Cenovus energy;
Air canada: Founding partner and official airline
Of the 2023 indspire awards.
- ♪ ♪ - [film reel ticking]
For 23 years, sandra laronde has been a creative force
And visionary, dedicated to our stories
And traditional knowledge,
Rooted in identity in our relationship to the land.
Her company, red sky performance,
Brings together indigenous dance, theatre, and music
To audiences across canada and around the world.
A prolific storyteller and cultural ambassador,
Sandra laronde is the indspire award recipient
For arts.
♪ ♪
Sandra laronde: I think the land just sort of crawls up
Into your soul and your psyche, and it really informs
How you see the world, no matter where you go.
♪ ♪
Sandra: When you're ready.
It's definitely been an incredible inspiration
For all the work that I do creatively, artistically.
Very nice.
And I'm so fortunate to have grown up on a beautiful land
Full of spirit, beauty, and imagination.
[film reel ticking]
My name is sandra laronde,
And I'm originally from temagami, ontario.
I am a director, producer, choreographer, author.
[film reel ticking]
♪ ♪
Sandra: We're at this very, very exciting time right now
Where stories right across turtle island are being seeded
And sort of rediscovered, unearthed.
You know, our dances were banned.
It was outlawed to dance our dances.
It was outlawed to sing our songs.
It was banned that we would practice ceremonies,
Speak our language.
That's not that long ago.
So, the fact that we're changing this narrative
Is so extraordinary.
♪ ♪
Sandra: I'm really interested in our stories
As anishinaabe people, as indigenous peoples.
I'm interested in telling the stories that move us
Beyond an issue, and that bigger perspective
And that vision that moves us beyond the false narrative
Of who we are, which is always so negative.
And so, we really need positive stories of who we are.
Here we go.
I mean, we're all storytellers,
And it's really about creating these stories
That have joy and hope.
[laughter]
I just really want to bring those stories front and centre
Into canada.
And, you know, rather than us as indigenous people being treated
Like some estranged cousin to canada,
We actually are in the very dna of who canada is.
[film reel ticking]
Tina: For uplifting indigenous stories
And inspiring hearts and minds across the globe,
The indspire award for arts is presented to sandra laronde.
[film reel ticking]
- ♪ ♪ - [applause]
♪ ♪
- ♪ ♪ - [applause]
Sandra: I truly believe canadians will never know
Their true identity unless they know more
About indigenous people and the stories from this land,
The music from this land, the dances from this land.
Everything inspired from this land is what we need.
♪ ♪
Recovering from the ongoing impact of colonialism,
Indigenous people seek to restore our relationship
With the land and our languages.
Innovators like kylik kisoun taylor
Help us reforge those lost connections.
His indigenous-owned and operated tourism company
Offer authentic cultural experiences,
Informed by his love of the land
And his gwich'in and inuvialuit traditions.
The indspire award for business and commerce
Is presented to kylik kisoun taylor.
♪ ♪
[birds squawk]
Kylik kisoun taylor: It's quite nice to get recognized
Because it's been a very long, hard journey.
Like, it's been 18 years of trying to make this happen.
And talking and working towards
This goal of reconciliation within business,
I feel tourism is the best avenue for that.
It spreads the message; it educates others.
I felt like that was the best avenue
For what I wanted to try to accomplish
And what I felt was missing in our community.
- ♪ ♪ - [film reel ticking]
I'm kylik kisoun taylor.
I run a company called tundra north tours
In a village called okpik arctic village,
Just outside of inuvik, northwest territories.
♪ ♪
Kylik: Our strength has always been our culture.
That's what kept us alive.
I'm proud to be able to create jobs that are culturally based
Where our people can feel like they can be indigenous
And make a living.
The catalyst to okpik really was the pandemic.
My daughter went into foster care.
She was very sick.
We had no money.
My spirit was broken.
So, I went to the place, which is, like, you know,
My cathedral or my place of worship.
It's the bush.
I always wanted to build, like, a very immersive experience
Where people can really understand how we live,
And so in the back of my head, I was like,
"you know what, this is my alamo.
If everything goes and I just live in the bush,
I'll be a happy guy.
If things come back and be good
And people are interested in this
And there's a market for it,
Then I think it's a good business plan as well."
And so for me, one of the most important things
Is just to portray that message and just to really tell people
And show them, like, we're important, you know?
Like, how we live, our culture, our--our way of sustainability,
Our way of community, it's like this is something
That is very powerful and really, really important.
And it's missing in your life too.
It's not just missing in my life as an indigenous person
That's been taken from me over the last 300, 400 years,
Or whatever it's been, it's also missing in your life.
It's been systematically taken away from you.
[film reel ticking]
Dallas: For his commitment to building economic sustainability
Through indigenous-led tourism, the indspire award
For business and commerce is presented
To kylik kisoun taylor.
♪ ♪
[fire crackles]
Kylik: I dream of a day when our communities aren't recovering
And fighting and surviving and hurting each other.
And I just dream of a time when we live up to the potential
That we've created in this world right now.
I dream of a future where the things I needed
As a child exist.
[cheering]
Kylik: Where it's not a struggle to reclaim who I am,
To reclaim who my people are.
♪ ♪
Ardith walpetko we'dalx walkem, british columbia's
First indigenous woman on the supreme court bench,
Always knew she wanted to be a lawyer.
Having lost siblings to the child welfare system,
She has dedicated her life to the protection
Of indigenous children and families.
Combining traditional teachings with canadian law,
She forges a powerful union that inspires healing
Within our nations.
The indspire award for law and justice goes to
The honourable justice ardith walpetko we'dalx walkem.
[bird squawks]
♪ ♪
Ardith walpetko we'dalx walkem: When my father was teaching me
About our laws and how we have an obligation to help each other
When we're broken, one of the things he said to me
Is that because we're formed of the land,
When we eat salmon or berries or deer
Or everything from the land, that in the marrow of our bones
That translates to who we are.
We are our land walking.
And because our laws flow from the land,
We are our laws walking, and we have to remember
The sacredness of each person.
[film reel ticking]
My name is ardith walpetko we'dalx walkem.
I am a member of the nlaka'pamux nation
From cooks ferry.
And I am a justice of the b.C. Supreme court.
♪ ♪
Ardith: When I was very young, I would be taken a lot
Onto the land with my dad and his family
And other elders in the community,
And they would come, and they would talk to me,
And they would tell me stories.
Hell's gate is an area within our territory
That has a very steep canyon, and in early 1900s,
A railway was building a track through the canyon,
And they exploded the rock away trying to lay the track,
And the result of that was that the rocks
All went into the river and completely blocked the river
During the height of one of the salmon returns.
There were literally millions of salmon who became stuck
And unable to make it through.
So, nlaka'pamux people had to come,
And we carried them over with our blankets
And baskets and hands.
And that's what we have to do with the exercise
Of our own laws for child welfare,
Is what my elders taught me.
We had to find a way to help the families
And children get through.
I think the idea that we are all connected
And that the job of law is to heal us as a people,
To heal us in community, to heal our relationships
With each other is a foundational principle
That's shared both in the canadian legal system
And in indigenous legal systems,
Certainly the nlaka'pamux system.
And if we remember that relatedness,
I think that's what brings humanity
And hope to the practice and exercise of law.
[film reel ticking]
Tina: For spearheading systemic change
Within canada's legal system,
The indspire award for law and justice
Is presented to ardith walpetko we'dalx walkem.
♪ ♪
Ardith: I'm inspired when I think of the future,
When I think of the people who are coming after us,
And when I think of the options that my kids will have
And the way that they will dance into the world,
The world that they will create.
I am grateful for my family and for opportunity
And for the relationships that I've had within my territory
And with the land itself.
♪ ♪
[film reel ticking]
Announcer: The indspire awards are made possible by:
Suncor;
Teck;
Keyera: Together, we're growing seed of connection
And opportunity for all.
Barry and laurie green family charitable trust,
Proud supporters of indigenous youth;
Dixon mitchell investment counsel:
Stewards of wealth evolution;
Ey canada: Committed to building a better working world.
♪ ♪
[film reel ticking]
A residential school survivor, joe buffalo struggled
With trauma and addictions for most of his adult life.
Today, joe is a world-renowned pro skateboarder,
And he's thriving.
He's using this platform to speak out against racism
And intergenerational trauma.
Joe is dedicated to his sobriety, his sport,
And a bright future.
He inspires all of us.
Joe, I'm so stoked that you're receiving
The indspire award for sports.
♪ ♪
Joe buffalo: I very much became distant with my culture
Growing up in the cities
And the amount of travelling I did,
And then throw in some addiction and some alcoholism, you know,
You very much start to lose sight of who you really are.
I started sweating with the elders in the sweat lodge.
You know, there's that.
But, I mean, you can't really participate in these
While you're active in your addiction,
You know what I mean?
So, I really had to put it down.
Yeah, sobriety is not easy, but once you get past
The--the uncomfortable stages then life starts to open up.
[film reel ticking]
My name's joe buffalo.
I'm from samson cree nation, maskwacis, alberta.
And I'm a skateboarder, actor, and public speaker.
♪ ♪
Joe: Skateboarding has its own language, you know what I mean?
It's just like the whole culture behind it,
And it's how community-driven it is.
Skateboarding has taught me everything I know.
I still fight an addiction, and I'm still an alcoholic,
I just don't drink.
I'm still a junkie, I just don't do dope, you know?
And so, yeah, it's just been wild that everything
That I've ever dreamt of has been coming true.
And it's all through just keeping it one hundred
With the creator and to the power of sun dance.
♪ ♪
Joe: We started this non-for-profit
Called nation skate youth, and what we do
Is we pretty much just go from community to community,
Right in the front lines, and we instill skateboarding
Into the youths' lives.
So, regardless of whether or not the kids take to it,
You don't have to be the very best at it,
We just like to show all the rich and positive avenues
That skateboarding culture can provide.
To be able to form chapters of nations
Clear across turtle island, that's, like, the dream,
You know?
To eventually just have one in florida, or like one in toronto,
Or like--you know what I mean, and have them there
Readily available for all the youth all across turtle island,
That's the dream.
♪ ♪
Joe: Because we're indigenous, we are automatically,
Like, adaptable.
You can put us in any situation.
We've got unlimited strength, you know what I mean?
We're automatically gifted from the day we were born,
So you can do absolutely anything you want,
You put your mind to, and that's just it.
♪ ♪
Dallas: For his focus, determination,
And leadership as a pro skateboarder,
And uplifting indigenous youth, the indspire award for sports
Goes to joe buffalo.
♪ ♪
Joe: I think it's super important to have family
Because, you know, like after the dust settles,
That's all you really have.
♪ ♪
Joe: I'm grateful for community, and I'm grateful
For all my friends and family, and I'm grateful for this life.
It's a good time to be alive.
♪ ♪
Jennine krauchi is a master métis beadwork artist whose work
Is showcased in museums and art galleries alike.
She emerged as a traditional knowledge-keeper at a time
When métis practices were at risk of being lost forever.
She has resurrected the oldest style of métis beadwork
And teaches it to youth, motivating them
To reclaim their identity and their history.
I am thrilled that jennine krauchi is being celebrated
With the indspire award for culture, heritage,
And spirituality.
♪ ♪
Jennine krauchi: It started when I was about five or six--
[camera shutter clicks]
Jennine:--And it was being around beadwork.
It was just part of my life.
But it wasn't until the '90s, when I moved back here
To winnipeg, that it was like full circle,
And I came back to my roots.
And after 30 years of doing beadwork,
I finally had a piece in an art gallery.
And at that point, I felt that I could honestly say
I'm a beadwork artist.
[film reel ticking]
My name is jennine krauchi.
I'm a métis beadwork artist.
♪ ♪
Jennine: When you think of the late 1800s, early 1900s,
Two of the first things that vanished within our community
Was our language and our beadwork
Because our beadwork identified us right away as métis.
♪ ♪
Jennine: So, a lot of that beadwork was put away.
Sometimes, the beadwork was taken away and burnt.
Even though we almost lost our culture,
There's still these pieces that are left behind that we can see,
And we can study and look at their stitches,
Look at their beadwork.
When I started looking at the old pieces,
Those pieces are talking to you even though they're so silent.
There was just this connection of things past,
This beautiful beadwork that was being done with a lot of love.
It was things like that that guided me.
To be able to come out and feel free about who you are
And what you want to do and be able to have those
Cultural things back again, it's really important.
I think it's really important to the young people too,
To be able to see that.
Because there's not that many people, descendants,
Left that live that lifestyle.
So, it's really important that we do get together
And celebrate.
♪ ♪
- [laughter] - [film reel ticking]
Tina: For her dedication to preserving
And passing on métis culture and knowledge,
The indspire award for culture, heritage, and spirituality
Goes to jennine krauchi.
♪ ♪
Jennine: There's just so many along the way
That have influenced me and kept me doing
What I'm doing.
[applause]
Jennine: I would say just make sure that you are proud
Of your culture.
You are proud of who you are.
And pass it on.
Keep it going, you know, so it never disappears
Or almost disappears again.
♪ ♪
Forcibly removed from her family during the sixties scoop,
Lori campbell grew up not knowing where she came from.
For 25 years, she searched for her mother and siblings
While pursuing higher education.
Today, at the university of regina,
She supports indigenous students
Building a more inclusive space where they can thrive.
A formidable educator and leader in her field,
Lori campbell is the recipient
Of the indspire award for education.
♪ ♪
Lori campbell: I'm very proud and honoured
To be the first person to hold the role
Of associate vice-president indigenous engagement
At the university of regina.
Essentially, what I do here at the university
Is I try to create space where indigenous students, staff,
And faculty can be their unapologetic indigenous selves.
I think the experience of being from
The sixties scoop generation does inform the work
That I get to do today.
Part of what's required of me is to work
And understand how colonialism impacts institutions like this
And how that can negatively impact the futures
Of indigenous peoples.
[film reel ticking]
Tansi lori campbell.
[speaking cree]
My family's from montreal lake cree first nation,
And I'm also a member there.
[film reel ticking]
[laughter]
Lori: I was scooped through the sixties scoop,
And I went into foster care.
And then I was adopted when I was two years old.
And when I turned 19, I came to the university of regina.
I was born in regina, and I started the search
For my birth family once I got back here.
Meeting my mom for the first time
Was one of the most profound experiences
That I'd ever had in my life.
I remember just looking at her hands
And how they looked just like mine,
And I'd never seen that before.
♪ ♪
Lori: Coming to understand what that means
And what it means to be the granddaughter
Of a residential school survivor informs the work that I do
Because I have an understanding of the experiences
That other indigenous students have been through
And what our families have been through.
When you work in a world that is outside of indigenous peoples,
The values can be different.
And if we allow ourselves to get sucked into that,
We can cause harm to our indigenous people.
I feel really proud to be able to be here
And really honoured to be able to do the work
That I get to do and to be able to talk
To students here who are excited and thriving
And learning about their indigeneity,
But also talking about issues that are important to them
As indigenous students.
You know, everybody wins when indigenous students
Have the opportunity to realize their dreams.
[film reel ticking]
Dallas: For protecting indigenous students
By advocating for safer spaces within academic institutions,
The indspire award for education goes to lori campbell.
♪ ♪
Lori: And I'm driven by indigenous joy and love.
It fuels me to do what it is that I do every day,
To get up every day, to try and, you know, leave this space
A better space when I leave at the end of every day.
I don't think that there's been a time in my life
Where I felt more happy and more fulfilled.
I have the job that I've always wanted.
I'm here in my, you know, close proximity to my home community.
And I get to do the things that I'm passionate about.
♪ ♪
Announcer: The indspire awards are made possible by:
Imperial: Creating lasting relationships to build
Strong, resilient communities;
Capitol power: Powering a sustainable future
For people and planet;
Syncrude.
- ♪ ♪ - [film reel ticking]
Bouchier: Indigenous excellence, better together;
Deloitte: Celebrating first nations, inuit
And métis leadership;
Rio tinto: Finding better ways to provide the materials
The world needs.
- ♪ ♪ - [film reel ticking]
Indigenous youth today are reactivating
Traditional knowledge and forging new pathways
For innovation.
My name is anna lambe, and I am honoured
To be celebrating my fellow youth and their success.
Willow allen is a model who is changing the face of fashion.
Ruby bruce is an artist and activist
Who brings creativity to her community.
Reanna merasty is an architect who is reimagining spaces
And systems.
In her home community, willow allen has inspired
The younger generation to embrace cultural teachings
And explore careers in modelling.
She champions youth initiatives while studying social work
At the university of manitoba.
Ruby bruce strives to connect métis youth
With their culture through creative expression.
Her commitment to building community has resulted
In the creation of the st. Laurent art space committee,
An inclusive art space for artists of all backgrounds.
Reanna merasty's advocacy for culturally informed programs
Has catalyzed remarkable change at the university of manitoba.
Harnessing her love for the land and traditional knowledge,
Her vision is to indigenize the field of architecture
And design.
Tonight, I am honoured to celebrate indigenous youth
Who represent inuit, métis, and first nations excellence.
[film reel ticking]
My name is willow allen.
I am from inuvik, northwest territories,
And I am a model and content creator.
♪ ♪
Willow: Being an indigenous person, occupying space
In the work that I do comes with a lot of pressure
And expectations that I have for myself.
[camera shutter clicks]
Willow: I've gotten a lot of messages from indigenous girls
Feeling like they weren't beautiful
And didn't have much confidence
And felt ashamed of who they were
Until they saw me being proud of who I was.
I think being blessed with these opportunities
That I was given comes with a lot of purpose.
Racism has impacted me as an inuit person.
Not a lot of people understood my culture,
And it made me feel looked down on
And feel like I needed to hide who I was for a long time.
When I started modelling, it really allowed me to have
A lot of confidence in what I look like
And realizing that there is a place for me in that world.
I think that the modelling that I've been doing
And my content creation hopefully has been dismantling
A lot of the colonial structures and bringing that representation
And culture into those spaces.
♪ ♪
[film reel ticking]
My name is ruby bruce,
And I am from the métis community
Of st. Laurent, manitoba.
♪ ♪
Ruby: I've been an artist my entire life.
I got influence from everything around me, my surroundings,
And that's what I would draw.
It's a lot easier for me to express myself through art
And writing.
It just--it helps me think, really think of what is inside,
What's in my heart and what's in my mind.
♪ ♪
Ruby: I tell children being indigenous is beautiful.
There's been many times after we're finished our workshops,
And almost all the children will say,
"oh, I have so much more confidence now."
"I love being indigenous."
"oh, I love our artwork."
And they get so excited.
They're like, "wow, like, it's so amazing to be indigenous."
I'm like, "yes, exactly, exactly."
But I always tell them, you know,
Don't copy exactly what I'm doing.
I want it to be yours.
I want them to put themselves into what they're making.
♪ ♪
Ruby: One thing I love to include in most of my art
Is kinship.
It can mean any living being,
Living and non-living in my opinion.
That's what we all are.
We're all kin.
We're all connected.
♪ ♪
[birds chirp]
[film reel ticking]
My name is reanna merasty, and I am woodlands cree
From barren lands first nation.
A lot of my work has been influenced by my time
At home in northern manitoba,
Spending time with my grandparents
On reindeer lake.
And I witnessed a lot of the natural building construction
That my grandpa would do when I was younger.
I would watch him build his own log cabins from the ground up
With his own two hands.
It wasn't until I was in my undergrad
That I started utilizing a lot of the knowledge
That I gained to influence the work that I do.
[fire crackles]
Reanna: "wahkohtowin" means everything has a relationship
And everything is our relative.
I've been utilizing that principle,
Which stems from the seven cree natural laws,
And I think once you understand that principle of wahkohtowin,
You then start to offer solutions of how you can
Work with and for the land itself.
When I was in my undergrad, I experienced a lot of racism,
So I established and co-founded
The indigenous design and planning student association
To create a very supportive space where other students
Can feel at home, but they can also have resources
To interact with other indigenous students
That are within the faculty, which I never had
When I was in school.
♪ ♪
Reanna: My dream for indigenous youth is to pursue a career
In architecture and design.
There is very little representation
Of indigenous people within this field,
And I want to provide a resource for indigenous youth
To see themselves within the space.
♪ ♪
Speaker: I'm so proud of you.
Anna: For their advocacy and reclamation of the spaces
They occupy, the indspire awards for youth
Go to willow allen, ruby bruce, and reanna merasty.
[film reel ticking]
[cheering]
♪ ♪
[cheering]
♪ ♪
- [cheering] - ♪ ♪
Man: Way to go, girl!
♪ ♪
Willow: And it feels like such a full-circle moment,
That connection to who I am and home through where my life
Has taken me.
♪ ♪
Ruby: Just do what you love,
And--and it will all fall into place.
Just do what you love, and it will all fall into place.
♪ ♪
Reanna: My home on that island is something that I treasure,
And it's something that I will always hold close to me.
♪ ♪
Anna: Do you know a first nations, inuk,
Or métis individual who is making a national impact?
Nominate them for an indspire award at:
- ♪ ♪ - [film reel ticking]
Announcer: The indspire awards thanks our supporters:
Indspire: Supporting indigenous achievement and excellence;
Shell canada: Powering lives and livelihoods
Through our products and activities;
Air canada: Founding partner and official airline
Of the 2023 indspire awards.
Barry and laurie green family charitable trust:
Proud supporters of indigenous youth;
Scotiabank: Committed to supporting
Economic resilience for every future;
Suncor.
- ♪ ♪ - [film reel ticking]
Shirley cuillierrier's 40-year career with the rcmp
Has been nothing short of radical.
As senior advisor to the national inquiry
Into missing and murdered indigenous women and girls,
And special advisor to combat human trafficking,
Her focus has always been on protecting the most vulnerable.
Her mohawk name is kwa ne re ta ion ne,
Which means "leaf-placer" or "protector."
How fitting that shirley is the indspire award recipient
For public service.
♪ ♪
Shirley cuillierrier: Early in my career,
I recognized that violence against women in our society
Was a very big problem of epidemic proportions, I felt.
Not enough was being done.
That has probably been my biggest contribution,
In policing and in the criminal justice system,
To highlight the fact that violence
Against indigenous women is not acceptable.
[film reel ticking]
I'm shirley cuillierrier.
I'm a member of the kanesatake first nation.
I served in the rcmp for 36.5 years.
♪ ♪
Shirley: In 1990, when the oka crisis happened,
I was very conflicted.
My grandfather sat me down, and he shared with me
How important it would be for me to remain
In the rcmp and to bring about change for our people
From within the institution.
♪ ♪
Shirley: When you talk about dismantling institutions
People get nervous.
It's kind of a coming together of the minds to understand
That there is a service gap, and what does that look like
And how do we collectively address that service gap?
People know they have to change.
Some people don't know how to go about the change,
So having the indigenous community at the table
Really provides for some rich dialog
And kind of that aha moment.
And it's going to result in better service.
And that's where my grandfather was, I think,
Very right in--in trying to persuade me to stay
In the rcmp.
And--and it was indeed a changing moment for me
Because I felt he gave me the strength to be me
And to be proud and to go out there
And to do the job to the best of my ability.
- ♪ ♪ - [film reel ticking]
Tina: For affecting systemic change within the rcmp,
While on the front lines of protecting women
From human trafficking, the indspire award
For public service goes to shirley cuillierrier.
[film reel ticking]
♪ ♪
Shirley: When you're part of an institution,
It's easy to be one in the same.
[applause]
Shirley: But staying true to yourself
And--and being who you are takes discipline and courage.
I'm just proud to be a mohawk woman.
♪ ♪
Dr. Chris mushquash is a leading force
In indigenous mental health in canada.
He's a clinical psychologist who incorporates
Traditional knowledge with western medicine,
Creating safer spaces for indigenous people to heal.
Through his work as canada research chair
In indigenous mental health and addictions,
He influences systemic change at a federal level.
We honour dr. Chris mushquash with the indspire award
For health.
♪ ♪
[child laughs]
Dr. Chris mushquash: I certainly grew up in a community
Where mental health and addiction difficulties
Were visible.
You saw things around you,
And I think I was curious about that
And wanted to find a way to be maybe useful to my community.
[film reel ticking]
Boozhoo, chris mushquash.
[speaking ojibwe]
I'm chris.
I'm a clinical psychologist and researcher
In northwestern ontario.
♪ ♪
[birds squawk]
Chris: Cultural understandings of well-being
Have long, long histories and have been implemented
Across time.
Many different indigenous groups understand culture
As a foundation of wellness, you know,
Where we find our purpose, what we're hopeful about,
Who we belong with, and where we find meaning
In our lives.
♪ ♪
Chris: I'm always very curious about the underlying mechanisms
Of action or what it is that's the medicine
In the intervention.
What are the active ingredients of the things that heal
And whether that's from a clinical psychology perspective,
Or whether that's from a culture-based perspective.
And so, a lot of the work is in trying to understand
How those two ways of knowing
Might be able to work complementary
Or fit together in some way.
When we're talking with people, you know,
Having a cultural framework that helps us organize
Those aspects of wellness into a picture,
A picture that we can, you know, use to understand
The things where there is capacity
And ability and resilience,
But also, those places where there's difficulty.
♪ ♪
Chris: Part of it is ensuring that there's always
An elder's voice that's there to guide processes.
Then you can begin to develop a plan
In which they can find places to access those things
In their lives that help support their journeys
And healing toward wellness.
♪ ♪
Chris: There's a lot of work to be done,
And it's important that we do it as quickly
And as focused as we can.
Because the value that it can bring to people
Is not something that we want to wait any longer for.
[film reel ticking]
Dallas: For dismantling systemic barriers indigenous people face
Within health care, while upholding cultural practices,
The indspire award for health goes to dr. Chris mushquash.
♪ ♪
[cheering]
Chris: The opposite of having joy and love in your life,
Sadly, is often having despair.
And--and I think we've had enough of that.
- [cheering] - ♪ ♪
Chris: We know where that leads.
You know, we know what that life is like,
And--and it's time to do something different.
♪ ♪
[film reel ticking]
Announcer: The indspire awards are brought to you by:
Indspire: Supporting indigenous achievement and excellence;
Government of canada;
Keyera: Together, we're growing seeds of connection
And opportunity for all.
Teck;
Cenovus energy.
- ♪ ♪ - [film reel ticking]
I love how our recipients are integrating indigenous knowledge
Into their work, like that old indigenous knowledge.
It's as if systems function more effectively
When indigenous people are included.
Yeah.
Only took 500 years.
♪ ♪
Speaking of indigenous knowledge, albert marshall,
Our lifetime achievement recipient,
Is an advocate of traditional mi'kmaq knowledge
And the concept of etuaptmumk, or two-eyed seeing,
Which describes the integration of indigenous knowledge
And contemporary science.
Removed from his home when he was 11
And taken to residential school, albert knows what it means
To lose everything.
He found healing in culture and language
And has since dedicated his life to inspiring others
To do the same.
He is an author, a teacher, a revisionist,
And a revolutionary.
Here is the indspire lifetime achievement award recipient:
Both: Albert marshall!
Thanks for watching.
♪ [singing and drumming] ♪
[film reel ticking]
♪ ♪
- ♪ [singing and drumming] ♪ - [film reel ticking]
Albert: I'm accepting this on behalf of all the mi'kmaq people
That have been very instrumental--
--Because knowledge is alive to us.
[cheering]
♪ ♪
Albert: We have to bring back the spirit
That was taken away from us at residential school.
We have to bring back the spirit to guide us
And to support us in the future,
Because how else are we going to prepare
The next generation to be the kind of people
That need to carry on, and not only the legacies,
But the responsibilities that have been left here
For us by our ancestors?
- [applause] - ♪ ♪
[film reel ticking]
♪ remember me
♪ when the sun comes up in the morning sky
♪ there I will be
♪ soaring with the eagle so high
♪ feeling free
♪ remember me
♪ down the road
♪ hand in hand
♪ you and me
♪ [singing] ♪