ITK president Mary Simon receives honorary law degree from Carleton

Mary Simon, president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, speaks June 7 at the spring convocation ceremony of Carleton University in Ottawa where she accepted an honourary law degree. (PHOTO COURTESY OF ITK)

Mary Simon, president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, received an honorary doctor of laws degree from Carleton University June 7 at the university’s spring convocation ceremony in Ottawa.

“It is a great honour to receive this degree from Carleton University, which has developed meaningful research partnerships with Inuit and has shown strong respect for Inuit knowledge. It is also home to a large number of Inuit students – a number I hope will rise exponentially in the coming years.” she said.

Carleton offers scholarships every year to up to two Inuit students undertaking scholarly or research work that will be of benefit to Inuit communities, notes an ITK news release on Simon’s award.

Simon previously received honorary degrees from McGill University, Queen’s University, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Guelph University and Trent University, which she served as chancellor from 1995 to 1999 and again in 2002.

Born in Kangiqsualuujuaq, Simon began her political career with the Northern Quebec Inuit Association, now Makivik Corp., and went on to become president of Makivik and president of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference (now the Inuit Circumpolar Council.)

In the early 1980s, she was a senior Inuit negotiator during the Canadian constitutional discussions leading to the recognition of Aboriginal rights in the 1982 Constitution Act.

Simon also served as Canada’s chief negotiator in establishing the eight-nation Arctic Council, which includes indigenous Arctic peoples as permanent participants. And she was Canada’s first Ambassador for Circumpolar Affairs as well as Canada’s ambassador to Denmark.

Simon’s other honours include being an Officer of the Order of Canada, the National Order of Quebec and the Gold Order of Greenland. She is also a recipient of the National Aboriginal Achievement Award, the Gold Medal of the Canadian Geographic Society and, recently, the Governor General’s Northern Medal. She has been named to the International Women’s Forum Hall of Fame and is a Fellow of the Arctic Institute of North America.

Simon is currently serving her second term as ITK president.