Marcelline Picard-Kanapé, C.M., C.Q.
Pessamit, Quebec
Marcelline Picard-Kanapé is a champion for Indigenous education. The first Innu to obtain a teaching certification in Quebec, she served as an educator and school administrator in Innu communities across the province over the course of four decades. She was a strong advocate for the promotion of Indigenous language in education, which led to the standardization of the Innu-Montagnais language. The first woman to join the Pessamit Innu Nation’s band council and to be elected chief, she has inspired new generations of Indigenous women leaders.