Mary Simon, President of the national Inuit organization Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
Mary Simon, O.C., O.Q., LL.D., President of the national Inuit organization Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, has been chosen to receive the Confederation Centre of the Arts’ Symons Medal and will give the 7th national Symons Lecture on the State of Canadian Confederation. The lecture will take place on Tuesday, November 3, 2009 at 1:00 p.m. in the Centre’s Homburg Theatre.
Ms. Simon has devoted her life’s work to gaining further recognition of Aboriginal rights and to achieving social justice for Inuit and other Aboriginal peoples nationally and internationally. Her leadership was key in securing international cooperation in forming the Arctic Council made up of eight Arctic nations and in creating the University of the Arctic. She has received many honours for her leadership in developing strategies for Aboriginal and Northern affairs and was a founding Chairperson of the Arctic Children and Youth Foundation, among many other achievements.
“Mary Simon is a timely choice by the Centre as our eyes in the south of Canada turn North on issues of aboriginal rights and social justice, national sovereignty, climate change and economic development. We welcome Mary Simon as she joins the distinguished line of past Symons Medal recipients and Symons Lecturers,” Mr. H. Wayne Hambly, Chairman of the Fathers of Confederation Buildings Trust explained.
There is no charge for admission but tickets are required. To reserve tickets, please contact the box office at 566-1267 or 1-800-565-0278.