Officers
Maureen Anne McTeer, O.C.
Ottawa, Ontario
Maureen McTeer is a respected Canadian lawyer and author whose work on gender issues and health guidelines have left an indelible mark on society. Her contributions have shaped important policy related to women’s health and equality, pollution, the international rule of law, fertility rights, and individual autonomy in end-of-life care.
Derek Muir, O.C.
Grimsby, Ontario
Derek Muir is a world-leading authority in environmental chemistry, specializing in contaminants. A research scientist emeritus at Environment and Climate Change Canada, he is renowned for his work in the Arctic, which focuses on pollutants in fish and marine life. Spanning Canada, the United States and Europe, his research has influenced international policies on chemical management.
John Theodore Nolan, O.C., O.Ont.
Garden River, Ontario
Ted Nolan is a community leader, retired professional hockey player and award-winning NHL coach. He co-created the 3NOLANS First Nation Hockey School with his sons Brandon and Jordan, and established the Ted Nolan Foundation, which provides scholarships to First Nations women. He continues to support Indigenous youth as a mentor, speaker and anti-racism advocate.
Lesley E. Paulette, O.C.
Smith’s Landing First Nation, Fitzgerald, Alberta
Lesley Paulette was instrumental in renewing and sustaining culturally safe, community-led midwifery services in the Northwest Territories. Through her tireless advocacy and service to families, the community of Fort Smith experienced the return of family-centred birth, leading to NWT's 2003 midwifery legislation. She was integral in developing the Midwifery Profession Act and its Standards of Practice, and helped establish exemplary programs in the territory.
The Honourable Charlie Watt, O.C., O.Q.
Kuujjuaq, Quebec
Charlie Watt is a retired senator and influential Inuit leader who founded both the Northern Quebec Inuit Association and the Makivvik Corporation. He played a pivotal role in negotiating the landmark James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement. Throughout his 34-year career in the Senate, he championed Indigenous rights and introduced Inuktitut to the chamber.
David Norman Weisstub, O.C.
Montréal, Quebec
David Weisstub is a leader and respected mentor in the fields of mental health law and forensic psychiatry. As the founder and honorary life president of the International Academy of Law and Mental Health, he has been a sought-after consultant in human rights, bioethics and mental competency for more than five decades.
Members
Andrew Phillip Atagotaaluk, C.M.
Inukjuak, Quebec
Andrew Atagotaaluk, the first Inuk diocesan bishop in the Anglican Communion, has had a profound and multi dimensional impact on Inuit communities throughout the Arctic. His work shaped community healing, cultural strength, youth well-being, spiritual life and institutional resilience across Nunavut, Nunavik and the wider Arctic region.
Sky Dancer Louise Bernice Halfe, C.M.
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Louise Halfe, also known by her Cree name Sky Dancer, is a poet from the Saddle Lake Cree Nation in Alberta. Acclaimed for her poetry collections, she advocates language learning and preservation, and her thought-provoking work articulates, in both Cree and English, the history and experiences of Indigenous peoples.
Jane Knott Hungerford, C.M., O.B.C.
Vancouver, British Columbia
Jane Hungerford is admired for her leadership in fundraising for health care, education, social services and conservation efforts. She has raised millions of dollars for crucial cancer research and community services in British Columbia and beyond. The B.C. Cancer Foundation, Science World, the University of British Columbia, and the Aboriginal Mother Centre have all benefited from her determination and ability to bring people together. She is a proud member of the Gwich’in Nation.
Christina Jean Keeper, C.M., O.M., M.S.M.
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Best known for her role in CBC’s North of 60, Tina Keeper is an award-winning actress, producer and former politician. One of the first Cree members of Parliament, she championed bills on Jordan’s Principle, the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two Spirit. Co-founder of Kistikan Pictures, she focuses her Indigenous-themed film and television work on human rights, reconciliation and gender-based violence.
James Gregory Kyte, C.M.
Ottawa, Ontario
Jim Kyte is renowned as the first deaf player in the history of the National Hockey League. Throughout his career, he championed the rights of athletes with physical disabilities to achieve greater accessibility and inclusion in sports. Off the ice, he has been a role model to others as a volunteer with numerous charities, an advocate for disability rights, and a distinguished voice for Deaf and hard of hearing Canadians.
Ryan Bresser Moran, C.M., M.S.C.
Victoria, British Columbia
Ry Moran is a Red River Métis citizen who has amplified Indigenous voices through his leadership in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. As Canada’s first associate university librarian, Reconciliation, at the University of Victoria, he is strengthening ethical stewardship and access to Indigenous historical records.
Diane Marie Pitre, C.M.
Campbellton, New Brunswick
Canadian Armed Forces veteran Diane Pitre fought for reparations for those wronged by the LGBT Purge, including herself, for decades. She continues to advocate on behalf of Purge survivors and for 2SLGBTQI+ rights in the military. Notably, she co-founded Rainbow Veterans of Canada, which champions 2SLGBTQI+ veterans.
Gabriel David Tuccaro, C.M.
Fort Chipewyan, Alberta
Gabriel David Tuccaro is among Canada’s most successful Indigenous entrepreneurs. Founder and leader of the Tuccaro Group and co-founder of the Northeastern Alberta Aboriginal Business Association, he actively elevates Indigenous business and contributes to the economic growth of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. A generous philanthropist, he supports and guides numerous community initiatives.