Inuit ambassador 'inspired' by award

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Ambassador Mary May Simon is the first Inuit person to assume the role

of ambassador for Canada. It is yet another active role for the former

broadcaster from Kangiqsujuaq, Que., who won the National Aboriginal

Achievement Award for environment.

When she was named Canada's Circumpolar Ambassador in October, 1994,

she was being appointed to a job she had helped to create. It was on

her initiative in 1986, that the Inuit Circumpolar conference, an

organization dedicated to the advancement of global Inuit and their

concerns, was established.

One of their major thrusts has been to get an Aboriginal voice in the

forums on the environment. The award is an indication of the

significant successes they have achieved, and much of the credit must go

to Simon.

"For me (the award) is very inspiring," she said at the

post-presentation reception. "Because our struggle has been so

difficult at times--our struggle for Native rights, I mean--because

there's always been so many negatives. This is a positive thing, a

tremendous positive."

Simon has been nothing if not positive for her people since she began

her career as a radio and television host with CBC North. She had

become, by the early 1980s, the president of the Makivik Corporation,

which oversaw the implementation of the James Bay and Northern Quebec

Agreement and had the responsibility for investing $90 million received

as compensation by the Inuit of northern Quebec.

After working on the Inuit Circumpolar Conference, Simon was also

active in the Charlottetown round of constitutional negotiations,

working as Inuit negotiator and senior advisor to the Inuit Tapirisat of

Canada.

Certainly no stranger to accolades, Simon has received the Order of

Canada, the National Order of Quebec, the Gold Order of Greenland, the

Governor General's 125th Commemorative Medal and honorary doctorate of

laws degrees from McGill and Queen's universities, in Montreal and

Kingston, Ont., respectively. In 1995, she was named chancellor of

Trent University in Peterborough, Ont.

Simon received the National Aboriginal Achievement Award "for her work

with the environment and for raising awareness of, and promoting

solutions to, the challenges facing the Inuit of Greenland, Alaska,

Russia and Canada."

She was one of three nominees in the environment category, the others

being Arnold Bonnetrouge of Fort Providence, N.W.T. and Henry Lickers of

Cornwall, Ont.