Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon was sworn in on July 26, 2021, as Canada’s first Indigenous governor general. She is the 30th governor general since Confederation.
Mary Simon was born on August 20, 1947, in Kangiqsualujjuaq, Nunavik (Quebec), to Nancy May (Angnatuk-Askew), her Inuk mother, and Bob Mardon May, her English father who worked for the Hudson’s Bay Company.
Ms. Simon gained national and international recognition for her work on Arctic and Indigenous issues and for her efforts in advocating for Inuit rights, youth and culture.
Ms. Simon began her career as a radio broadcaster with the CBC Northern Service (now CBC North) in the 1970s. Following this, she held a series of executive positions with the Northern Quebec Inuit Association (now Makivik Corporation) and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, centred on negotiating the first land claims agreement in Canada, the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement. As president of Makivik Corporation, she was directly involved with the implementation of the agreement, along with the protection and promotion of Inuit rights.
Along with fellow Indigenous leaders, she was also actively involved in the negotiations leading to the 1982 patriation of the Canadian Constitution, which formally entrenched Aboriginal and treaty rights in the supreme law of Canada.
She later joined the executive council of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference (now the Inuit Circumpolar Council), for which she served two terms as president. In addition, she was commissioner of the Nunavut Implementation Commission and policy co-director of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples.
From 1994 to 2003, Ms. Simon served as ambassador for Circumpolar Affairs, becoming the first Inuk to hold an ambassadorial position. During this time, she negotiated the creation of the Arctic Council. Concurrently, she served as ambassador of Canada to Denmark from 1999 to 2001.
Beginning in 2006, Ms. Simon served two terms as president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami. In 2008, in the House of Commons, she delivered a response on behalf of Inuit to the formal apology on residential schools. She is the founder of the Arctic Children and Youth Foundation and, until 2014, she was the chairperson of the National Committee on Inuit Education.
In 2017, as the Minister’s Special Representative, Ms. Simon delivered a report to the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs on A new Shared Arctic Leadership Model, setting the stage for important policy and program development in support of the Arctic and its residents.
Among other distinctions, Ms. Simon is an Officer of the Ordre national du Québec. She is also a recipient of the Governor General’s Northern Medal, the Gold Order of Greenland, the National Aboriginal Achievement Award, the Gold Medal of the Canadian Geographical Society and the Symons Medal.
Upon becoming governor general, Ms. Simon was promoted by Queen Elizabeth II to the level of Companion of the Order of Canada (C.C.), and invested as Commander of the Order of Military Merit (C.M.M.) and Commander of the Order of Merit for Police Forces (C.O.M.). Queen Elizabeth II was the Sovereign of these Orders at the time.
Ms. Simon plays the accordion and loves berry picking and nature. She is anaana (mother) to a daughter and two sons, anaanatsiaq (grandmother) to 12 children and amauq (great-grandmother) to four children. She also has three stepchildren from her marriage in 1994 to Mr. Whit Fraser, former head of the Canadian Polar Commission, former executive director of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and a former long-time CBC journalist.

The Honourable Bill Blair was elected as the Member of Parliament for Scarborough Southwest in 2015. He has previously served as President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness, as Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, and as Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction.


Before entering politics, Minister Blair served the people of Toronto for over 39 years, starting as a beat officer in downtown Toronto and continuing with assignments in drug enforcement, organized crime units, and major criminal investigations. In 2005, he was named Chief of the Toronto Police Service, overseeing the largest municipal police service in Canada, and one of the largest in North America. In this role, he oversaw important efforts to combat violent crime, while supporting local policing initiatives. He also served as President of both the Ontario and Canadian Associations of Chiefs of Police.


In recognition of his contributions to the policing profession, Minister Blair was named an Officer then a Commander of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces. He is the proud recipient of the 2011 Beth Sholom Brotherhood Humanitarian Award, a member of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, and was honoured in 2013 by the Canadian Tamil Congress for his leadership and tremendous service to the people of Toronto.


Minister Blair holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Criminology as well as a Certificate in Law Enforcement Administration from the University of Toronto, and a Certificate in Criminal Justice from the University of Virginia. He is a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy, the Police Leadership Program from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, and the National Executive Institute.

Coming Soon.

Dr. Grazia (Grace) Scoppio is an academic and a consultant with over 25 years of experience in teaching, delivering talks and conducting interdisciplinary research with a focus on issues related to military personnel including diversity and gender in military organizations, indigenous participation in the military, immigrants in the armed forces, military education, organizational culture, and lessons learned. She is a Professor in the Department of Defence Studies, Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) and is cross-appointed in the Queen’s University Department of Political Studies, in Kingston, Ontario. She is also a Fellow at the Centre for International and Defence Policy at Queen’s, and a member of the Canadian Defence and Security Network and the Transforming Military Cultures Network. She sits on the Editorial Boards of the Canadian Military Journal as well as the journal Comparative and International Education - Éducation comparée et internationale (CIE-ECI), having previously served as the Editor (French) with Dr. Marianne Larsen, Editor (English) of the CIE journal (2014-2017). She was Acting Deputy Director Research, Dallaire Centre of Excellence for Peace and Security, at the Canadian Defence Academy (CDA) (2023); was a Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Peace and War Studies at Norwich University, Vermont, USA (2021); was Dean of Continuing Studies at RMC (2017-2020) after serving as Associate Dean (2013-2016); and held appointments at CDA and Canadian Forces Leadership Institute (CFLI) (2002-2013). In 2013, the Commander of Military Personnel Command awarded to the CFLI team of which she was part a commendation in recognition of the development and implementation of a series of leadership programmes for Veterans Affairs Canada and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. In 2018, she was a member of the first Halifax Peace with Women Fellowship Selection Committee for the Halifax International Security Forum. Dr. Scoppio presented at many national and international conferences and authored or co-authored several publications, including: books, reports, chapters in edited books and articles in peer-reviewed journals. One of her recent publications is the book The Power of Diversity in the Armed Forces – International Perspectives on Immigrant Participation in the Military, co-edited by Scoppio and Greco. She received grants and awards from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Canadian Department of National Defence, and Fulbright. Due to her expertise, Dr. Scoppio is often contacted as a subject matter expert to provide contributions to the media and testify before parliamentary committees on various topics related to military personnel.

Kristy Barnaby is the CEO and founder of Barnaby & Associates Inc. Barnaby & Associates a technical advisory and consulting firm specializing in federal procurement (i.e., general procurement, social procurement, and Indigenous Procurement) and Quality Management Systems. Through Barnaby & Associates, Kristy Barnaby is a nationally recognized author of multiple innovative Indigenous Participations Plans (IPPs). She serves as an advisor and subject matter expert witness in the field of Public Administration, Public Policy, systems-level Change Management, Informatics, and as Lead negotiator in Strategic Partnership development. Barnaby & Associates specialization in Indigenous Procurement is founded in a shared guiding principle to uphold Indigenous Rights and the integrity of Crown-Indigenous relations by actualizing FPIC-compliance and UNDRIP-compliance with innovative tools and measures. Barnaby & Associates has been entrusted to do so as advisors by National Indigenous Economic Organizations (NIEOs), Community-based organizations, Industry, and federal government. Barnaby & Associates has been commended for leading “legacy level work” and “changing the way Canada does business” in recent years. As CEO, Kristy Barnaby strives to uphold this reputation and the trust of decision-makers.

Tabatha, a proud member of Nipissing First Nation, holds the distinction of being named CEO of the Year for 2022 by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, was recognized as one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women in 2023, and named as Top 100 Lobbyist in Canada four years in a row. As the President and CEO of CCIB, she is dedicated to rebuilding and strengthening the path towards reconciliation and fostering a prosperous Indigenous economy for the benefit of all Canadians. With a background in electrical engineering, Tabatha is committed to promoting Indigenous inclusion and diversity in Canada’s energy sector.
In her role at CCIB, Tabatha serves the Indigenous community by supporting the Indigenous economy and sits on various boards, including the Dexterra Group, Wigwamen Inc., Ontario Chamber of Commerce, and Catalyst CEO Advisory Board in Canada, among others.
Tabatha's dedication to diversity extends to her efforts in removing systematic barriers to enhance opportunities for Indigenous businesses and women across all industry sectors.

LCol (Ret’d) Peter Fedak, CD, M.A.S, MBA
Vice President Defence Programs – KF Aerospace
Peter Fedak has over 33 years of experience in the Defence, Aerospace, and Aviation industries. Peter joined KF Aerospace in May 2015 as the Site Manager for the Contracted Flying Training and Support (CFTS) contract in Southport, Manitoba. In this role, Peter was responsible for the effective and efficient delivery of all services provided to Canada for RCAF flight training under the CFTS contract. The CFTS contract provides a turn-key training operation for the RCAF, including the latest training and maintenance technologies. From February 2018, he has been on secondment from KF Aerospace, and on January 6, 2022, was appointed Head of Operations for SkyAlyne Canada. On June 1, 2023, Peter was named as the Vice President Defence Programs for KF Aerospace, overseeing the CFTS Program and KF Aerospace involvement in SkyAlyne.
In 1989, Peter joined the RCAF and, over 25 years, amassed a vast amount of operational, training, and leadership positions, including 4,600 hours of flying time. Trained as a Rotary Winged Pilot, he spent his operational time with 1 Wing supporting the Canadian Army. He deployed to Haiti for Peacekeeping, oversaw the training and implementation plan for the CH146 Griffon at 408 Squadron, supported the 1997 Manitoba Floods, and deployed to Afghanistan, mentoring the Afghan Army Air Corps. Training experience was gained as a Qualified Flying Instructor at 3 CFFTS, rising to the highest category of A1. Following 3 CFFTS, Peter was promoted to Major and was the Chief Instructor at 403 Operational Training Squadron in Oromocto, New Brunswick. After a two-year posting to Fort Rucker, Alabama with the US Army, Peter was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel and transferred to the Air Staff in NDHQ for one year. Peter’s RCAF career culminated as the Commandant of 3 CFFTS from 2012-2014.
Peter has a Master of Aeronautical Science from Embry-Riddle, is a graduate of the USAF JCSP and Air War College DL programs, and is a 2021 graduate of the Executive MBA program through the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University.

Alain Gauthier is an experienced business executive who has consistently demonstrated advanced skills in leadership, project management, consensus building, and change management. These competencies have contributed to his internationally recognized track record of achieving business and strategic goals.

Alain served 23 years in the Canadian Army as an armoured officer, with several international deployments and operational roles. His final position in the military was within the Directorate of Land Requirements, where he oversaw the fielding of the Canadian Army's foundational digital C4I system.

Following his military career, Alain spent 14 years at Thales Canada, beginning as a Project Manager and advancing to Vice President of the Canadian Business Unit. In this role, he was responsible for all C4I programs, including Cyber, Training and Simulation, and R&D Capabilities.

In 2015, Alain joined Mack Defence, where he managed the delivery of the over $1.0B (CAD) Medium Support Vehicle System (MSVS) program, which included 1,587 logistics trucks, trailers, and armoured cabs, along with full ILS and ISS capability for the Canadian Army.

Alain joined Marshall Canada in 2023 as Director of Strategy and Business Development and was appointed Vice President of Marshall North America in July 2024.

Alain is a versatile, dynamic, and bilingual (French-English) leader with unparalleled experience in military and Canadian industry team building, leadership, and program delivery.

Shannin Metatawabin is Cree/Inninow from the Peetabeck Community of the Mushkegowuk Nation and is the father of four children.

He is CEO of the National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association (NACCA), an organization representing a national network of 58 Indigenous Financial Institutions that spur economic growth through loans to small and medium-sized Indigenous businesses. Informed by his vision of Indigenous self-reliance, Shannin has increased support to the Indigenous lending network by over half a billion dollars during his tenure at NACCA. He is firmly grounded in his Cree worldview and language and has served as an entrepreneur, commercial lender, business/community developer, and management consultant, assisting with well-over 300 Indigenous business start-ups and expansions.

Shannin is a tireless advocate for meaningful economic reconciliation, creating investment vehicles such as the Indigenous Growth Fund and Indigenous Prosperity Foundation to connect private and philanthropic investors with Indigenous projects. Prior to joining NACCA, he served as Manager of the Aboriginal Affairs and Sustainability with DeBeers and Executive Director of the Ontario First Nations Technical Services Corporation.

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M. Shannin Metatawabin est Cri/Inninow issu de la communauté Peetabeck de la Nation Mushkegowuk et père de quatre enfants.

Il est président directeur général de l’Association nationale des sociétés autochtones de financement (NACCA), une organisation nationale regroupant un réseau de 58 institutions financières autochtones dont la mission est de stimuler la croissance économique, grâce à des prêts commerciaux aux petites et moyennes entreprises autochtones. Guidé par sa vision d’autodétermination, Shannin a ainsi contribué au soutien du réseau et à le faire progresser de plus d'un demi-milliard de dollars au cours de son mandat à NACCA. Fermement enraciné dans sa vision du monde et sa langue crie, il a tour à tour été entrepreneur, prêteur commercial, promoteur d'entreprises communautaires et consultant en gestion, contribuant ainsi à plus de 300 démarrages et expansions d'entreprises autochtones.

Shannin est un défenseur infatigable d'une réconciliation économique significative, en créant des véhicules d'investissement tels que le Fonds de croissance autochtone et la Fondation pour la prospérité autochtone afin de mettre en relation des investisseurs privés et philanthropiques avec des projets autochtones. Avant de se joindre à la NACCA, il a été directeur des affaires autochtones et de la durabilité chez DeBeers et directeur exécutif de la Société des services techniques des Premières nations de l'Ontario.

Originally from Fort St. John, BC (Treaty 8 Territory), Tanya has 30 years of experience in post-secondary education and Indigenous Relations. She began as a college instructor, and moved into progressively senior leadership roles at colleges across Northern British Columbia.
She has worked for the Haisla Nation as Education & Employment Manager and also as President and CEO at Kitimat Valley Institute, to help prepare the local workforce for the LNG Canada Project.
In 2020 she joined ATCO Frontec as Indigenous Relations Manager. Through ATCO, she led the development of the Indigenous Participation Plan for SkyAlyne.
Tanya holds a M.Sc. (Leicester) and MBA (Simon Fraser) and is a Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR).

Doug Wilson-Hodge was appointed Director for General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada, responsible for Strategy and Business Development, in May 2022. Doug leads an experienced team focused on developing new business opportunities across the spectrum of General Dynamics Land Systems products. His team manages strategy, business development, government and community relations, communications, offsets, and industrial participation.

Prior to his current role, Doug held various leadership positions within Business Development and Program Management. Additionally, Doug served as an officer in the Canadian Armed Forces Primary Reserve, retiring after 14 years. With over 30 years of experience in the defence industry, Doug has been recognized multiple times with the President’s Award for his contributions to General Dynamics Land Systems.

Doug holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Western University and a Licentiate (Diploma) in Theology from Huron University College. He achieved his Project Management Professional (PMP®) designation from the Project Management Institute in 2003. Doug received the Canadian Forces Decoration (CD) in 2002 and was awarded the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal. He serves on several boards, including the London Health Sciences Foundation, and is the Chair of the Board of Directors with St. John Ambulance, Southwestern Ontario Branch.

Cadmus Delorme, a Cree and Saulteaux, is the former Chief of Cowessess First Nation in Southern Saskatchewan. Cadmus graduated from Cowessess Community Education Centre in 2000. He later moved to Regina to pursue a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Certificate in Hospitality, Tourism and Gaming Entertainment Management from the First Nations University of Canada (FNUniv), and a Master of Public Administration from the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy. He has also received an ICD.D. designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors and its affiliate institution, Kenneth Levene Graduate School of Business.
Under Cadmus's leadership, Cowessess First Nation prioritized economic self-sustainability and progressed renewable energy, agriculture, and land use efficiency initiatives to create current and future business opportunities.
Cadmus is the Chair of the Residential Schools Document Advisory Committee and the University of Regina Board of Directors, serves on the Saskatchewan Gaming Corporation Board of Directors and is a 2023 Banff Forum delegate. Through his work as a volunteer and committed athlete, Cadmus has a number of achievements including a First Nation Sport Award (2009). He was a member of Team Saskatchewan's Golf team (2009-2012), Vice President of the FNUC (First Nations University of Canada) Student Association, Mid-Amateur Saskatchewan Golf Champion (2011), Champion at Waskesiu Lobstick Open and Match Play Golf (2011), President of the FNUC Student Association (2011), Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal recipient (2012), and Neechie Gear Clothing Role Model (2013).
In 2012, Cadmus received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, recognizing his student leadership and the hospitality he showed to Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, when they visited FNUniv. He was also named one of CBC Saskatchewan’s Future 40, which celebrates the province’s new generation of leaders, builders and change-makers under the age of 40.
In 2021, Cadmus faced one of his hardest moments as Chief when the Saulteaux and Cree First Nation made international headlines with the discovery of potentially 751 unmarked graves near the former Marieval Indian Residential School. Shortly after, Cowessess made headlines again as the first First Nations community to sign an agreement with Ottawa that returns jurisdiction over children in care to the community. Federal legislation overhauling Indigenous child welfare was passed in 2019 and came into force last year.

Thomas Benjoe is an Indigenous Business Leader and Entrepreneur from Muscowpetung First Nation. He is currently a partner at OneHoop. Through his leadership, he has grown several multi-million dollar investments across multiple sectors using his unique business models. Those investments were often made with limited resources and capital, and in one such investment he started, scaled, and sold Saskatchewan’s first Indigenous tech company for a 1,150% return. Thomas also leads several strategies in Indigenous Engagement, Procurement, Indigenous HR, and Investments. Through the strategies he has built, he has helped to unlock many new opportunities for Indigenous businesses to thrive and Indigenous talent to be built sustainably.

Thomas currently serves on the Board of Directors at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Board of Directors of Economic Development Regina, the SIIT Indigenous Innovation Advisory Council, and is a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders Indigenous Task Group. He is a past Chair of the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce.

Thomas recently received the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal for contributions to Business & Commerce, was a finalist for the 2023 CANDO Economic Developer of the Year Award, and was recognized in The Globe and Mail’s Report on Business Magazine as a Top 50 Changemaker in Canada. He was also recognized as one of the Top 10 Most Influential Economic Developers by Treaty 4 News.

Tom served as the 2019/20 United Way “Community Champion,” is the recipient of the Crowning Achievement Young Alumni Award from the University of Regina (2017), was recognized by CBC's "Future 40" (2013), received the Red Cross' "Young Humanitarian of the Year" (2009), and was a "Top Performer" Convention Winner, which recognizes the top 1% of RBC employees (2015).

Jada Yee is a OneHoop partner and a proud member of the Wood Mountain Lakota Sioux Nation. He also has Chinese-Canadian heritage. Jada has a wide range of backgrounds, having spent over 20 years in various mid-senior level leadership roles within the casino gaming industry, as well as being a VP of Operations and Director of Business Development at FHQ Developments, Manager at SaskGaming & Casino Regina, and General Manager of an Indigenous Metal Fabrication facility.

In his spare time, Jada volunteers on numerous Indigenous and Non-Indigenous boards. He has been an active member for the past 5 years on the Regina Police Service Board of Police Commissioners, where he currently sits as Chair. In October 2021, Jada was elected to the National Board of the Canadian Association for Police Governance, where he represents Saskatchewan. He was awarded the Queen's Jubilee medal for his contributions to bridging the gap in Reconciliation.

Jada was also awarded the Presidential Leadership Award from SaskGaming and has been invited to present his research at the Annual Gaming and Problem Gambling Retreat on two separate occasions regarding Problem Gaming/Addictions and Indigenous communities. This led to Jada being recognized in 2017 as one of the Top 40 Under 40 in the global gaming community, making him the lone Canadian acknowledged at that time. In June 2022, Jada was selected as a leader in Canada and had the opportunity to tour Canada and present his findings to the Governor General of Canada, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon.

Jada is a proud alumnus of First Nations University with a BAdmin and obtained his MAdmin in 2020. He also teaches at the First Nations University in their School of Business.