(University of Alberta/website)

By Jaryn Vecchio

Recognized & Honoured

Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation member and P.A. resident appointed to Order of Canada

Dec 29, 2021 | 3:00 PM

A member of the Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation is being appointed to the Order of Canada.

Deborah Chatsis is one of 135 individuals across Canada being recognized with one of the country’s highest civilian honors.

Since 1967, the Governor Generals of Canada have appointed over 7,000 Canadians to the Order due to their “outstanding achievement, dedication to the community, and service to the nation.”

“I was very humbled and overwhelmed,” said Chatsis. “It did sink in after a couple of weeks.”

Growing up in Prince Albert, Chatsis graduated from St Mary High School.

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Her education didn’t end there as she received a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Saskatchewan, a Master of Laws from the University of Ottawa, and a Fulbright Scholarship to attend Harvard University.

Chatsis is best known for being the first woman from a First Nation to be an ambassador for Canada, serving in Vietnam, Belize, and Guatemala.

She told paNOW these positions gave her a platform to advocate for Indigenous and women’s rights in and outside Canada.

“I think they could see they were not alone in some of the challenges they faced.”

She was also a senior advisor to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and worked in the Privy Council Office on different Indigenous issues.

Also being appointed alongside Chatsis are Senator Lillian Dyck, a member of the George Gordon First Nation, and Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, an advocate of Indigenous Children in British Columbia.

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Jaryn.Vecchio@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow