Indigenous Women in Leadership Award and Keynote - Highlights

On April 6, 2017 at Design Exchange in Toronto, ON CCAB celebrated successful, accomplished, committed women with a new award that served not only as national recognition but as a platform to the future. The evening started with Elder Pauline Shirt providing a welcome prayer and Jenny Blackbird with a drum song. The emcee for the evening was actor, producer and businesswoman, Jennifer Podemski. CCAB and an audience of 250 witnessed The Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould receiving the inaugural Indigenous Women in Leadership Award.

The recipient of the CCAB inaugural Indigenous Women in Leadership Award (2017) is the Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould.

Jody Wilson-Raybould is a member of the We Wai Kai Nation, a nd h er traditional Kwak’wala name is Puglaas, which means “a woman born to noble people.” She has long been an advocate for change, and has credited her grandmother, Pugladee, and her parents for ensuring that she knew her culture, her values, the laws of her Big House and how to conduct herself as a leader.

As a Commissioner of the British Columbia Treaty Commission, and later as Regional Chief of the Assembly of First Nations in British Columbia, Jody Wilson-Raybould helped First Nations in B.C. position themselves for increased economic opportunity and prosperity. Her support and participation in CCAB events have been a positive component in helping to bridge the business gap nationally while encouraging sustainable business practices and development. Elected as the Member of Parliament for Vancouver Granville in 2015, and then appointed as Canada’s first Indigenous Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Jody Wilson-Raybould has continued her hard work in ensuring that Canada provides all its citizens with opportunities to thrive and succeed.

Jody Wilson-Raybould is a role model for Indigenous women in Canada on many levels, including at the highest levels of government. Her accomplishments and achievements are a shared national p ride that we wish to celebrate. We wish to honour her with our inaugural Indigenous Women in Leadership award as a beacon to the future that complements and adds a much-needed balance to our awards portfolio.

Learn more about her accomplishments here.