Inuit leader Mary May Simon was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, at the 2 p.m. ceremony on Tuesday, June 7, 2011 “in recognition of dedication and commitment to Inuit rights, social justice and education and leadership in circumpolar affairs.”
Mary May Simon has devoted her life to achieving social justice for Inuit nationally and internationally, with a focus on children and youth and preserving the Inuit language.
In the environmental, economic and political arenas, she has been an advocate for Inuit co-operation and was the architect of Canada’s northern policy. In the early 1980s, she was a senior Inuit negotiator during the Canadian constitutional discussions which led to the recognition of Aboriginal rights in the 1982 Constitution Act.
In 1994, she was named Canada’s first Ambassador for Circumpolar Affairs. Her many honours include being named an Officer of the Order of Canada, the National Order of Quebec, the National Aboriginal Achievement Award and receiving the Governor General’s 125th Commemorative 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.
Currently, she is president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the national organization representing Inuit from Nunavut, Nunavik in Northern Quebec, Nunatsiavut in Labrador and the Inuvialuit region of the Northwest Territories.