Madeleine Redfern
Guest Speaker at the 2025 Riddell Reception
Madeleine Redfern is an Indigenous woman from Iqaluit, Nunavut and a beneficiary of the Nunavut Agreement. Ms. Redfern has over 35 years of experience in management and governance, and has held the top organizational position several times over the course of her career. She has recently assumed the role of Interim CEO of the Native Women’s Association of Canada. Ms. Redfern’s advocacy, professional, and governance work shows dedication and passion towards the development and delivery of programs assisting Indigenous, Inuit, northerners and Canadians that reflect their values, needs, and priorities.
As a businesswoman and a strong social advocate for transformative initiatives, Redfern has a great deal of governance and volunteer experience with Indigenous and Inuit organizations, including, but not limited to, Inuit Non-Profit Housing Corporation; Chair of the Legal Services Board of Nunavut, Survivor’s Circle for Reproductive Justice Tungasuvvingat Inuit Community Centre, and one of the founding members of Wabano Aboriginal Health Centre and Inuit Head Start in Ottawa. Redfern was also the executive director of the Qikiqtani Truth Commission, a commission that reviewed the “effects of federal government policies on Eastern Arctic Inuit” between the 1950s and 1980s. Following law school graduation, she became the first Inuit law clerk to clerk for the Supreme Court of Canada. In 2010, she became the Mayor of Iqaluit and served for two terms. Redfern received the Indspire Award for Public Service to acknowledge and celebrate all her hard work, commitment and contributions.