Nellie Cournoyea Appointed Officer to Order of Canada

Words by Maia Lepage

The order of Canada is the centrepiece of Canada’s honours system and recognizes a lifetime of outstanding achievement, dedication to the community, and service to the nation. o n December 30 2008, Governor General of Canada Michaëlle Jean, announced 60 new appointments to the order of Canada. n ellie Cournoyea, CEo/ Chair of the Inuvialuit regional Corporation, and former premier of the n orthwest Territories, was appointed Officer (O.C.), the second highest level in the o rder.

recipients this year came from all sectors in Canadian society, but the contributions that they made have enriched the lives of others and made a difference to the country. There are three distinct levels to the order of Canada; Member, Officer and Companion.

This appointment to the order of Canada recognizes n ellie Cournoyea (pictured left) for her active involvement, in promoting social and economic development for a boriginal people, and for her contributions to political governance in the n orthwest Territories.

Inuvialuit are familiar with n ellie Cournoyea’s efforts over the past five decades to strengthen the identity, culture and economy of n ortherners, and their place in the nation. Nellie is the first native woman to lead a provincial/ territorial government in Canada. h er contributions to the Inuvialuit include the successful negotiation of the Inuvialuit final a greement. n ellie was acclaimed to her seventh term as I rC Chair/ CEo in 2008.

Over the years, Nellie has been awarded a prolific number of awards and honorary doctorates, including the prominent the Governor General’s n orthern Medal, and the a boriginal Business h all of f ame award in 2008. n ellie is also known to be a committed volunteer for Inuvialuit cultural and social causes.

n ellie remains humble despite the accolades she has earned, preferring to recognize and thank the people working alongside her. n ellie has always said, “I might be the one that’s being recognized but I didn’t get there by myself. a lot of the work and success that we had is a result of us working as a team.”

The order of Canada’s motto is DESIDERANTES MELIOREM PATRIAM [They desire a better country]. n ellie shows with her life choices that with courage and dedication, that ideal can be achieved.