Member of the Order of Canada

• Awarded on: May 19, 2022
• Invested on: May 02, 2024

Frances Abele, C.M.
Ottawa, Ontario

Frances Abele is Canada’s pre-eminent scholar of Indigenous political and economic development. A Chancellor’s professor at Carleton University, she has been recognized for her public policy research for the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, which championed Indigenous peoples’ rights to self-determination and self-governance in the North. She has also made significant contributions to understanding the dynamics of northern community economies, and underlining the need for change in Canadian institutions to support Indigenous self-determination. Her conscientious and committed work on rebuilding Indigenous governance has meaningfully advanced reconciliation in Canada.