Lieutenant Governor of Québec's First Peoples Medal

Purpose

The Lieutenant Governor’s First Peoples Medal recognizes outstanding contributions by members of the First Nations and Inuit Nation. This recognition highlights the career paths of remarkable individuals who, through their dedication, commitment, and achievements, contribute to the influence of their community, of their Nation or of First Peoples throughout Québec, elsewhere in Canada or internationally. The recipients are recognized as inspiring and transformative individuals who address the social, cultural, and economic challenges of First Peoples.

The First Peoples Medal is an acknowledgement and honour awarded to recipients for their outstanding contribution to their people; its significance is therefore not political in nature.

This medal is awarded under the existing Lieutenant Governor of Québec Awards Program.

Design of the First Peoples Medal

First Nations Category		Inuit Category

 

The medal attached to a ribbon to be worn around the neck and is available in two categories, depending on the membership of the recipients—either First Nations or Inuit Nation.

The medal awarded to a member of the First Nations features an engraving (obverse and centre) by the Abenaki and Wendat artist Christine Sioui-Wawanoloath. The medal awarded to a member of the Inuit Nation features an engraving by Inuit artist Daniel Inukpuk. For both medals, the name of the Lieutenant Governor then in office is on the perimeter. Québec appears on the reverse side with indications to the locations of First Nations communities or northern Inuit villages.

Eligibility Criteria

To be considered eligible, the candidate must, before the nomination deadline,

• be a member of a First Nation recognized in Québec or the Inuit Nation recognized in Québec;
• be born in Québec or residing in Québec;
• have contributed to the influence of their community, of their Nation or of First Peoples in Québec, elsewhere in Canada or internationally;
• have contributed to the well-being of their community by their sustained efforts in the face of social, cultural and economic challenges;
• be withdrawn from active politics; and
• be nominated by a person or an organization and be supported by at least one person who can act as a reference.

The phrase “a First Nation recognized in Québec” refers to the following First Nations: the Abenaki (Waban-Aki), Algonquin (Anicinape), Attikamek (Nehirowisiw), Cree (Eeyou), Huron-Wendat (Hurons-Wendat), Innu (Innu), Maliseet (Wahsipekuk), Micmac (Mi’gmaq), Mohawk (Kahnien’kehake) and Naskapi (Naskapi).

Only one First Peoples Medal may be awarded to the same person.

Organizations are not eligible to receive the First Peoples Medal.

The Lieutenant Governor does not confer awards posthumously. However, a person’s candidacy continues to be eligible if the person’s death occurs after the application has been submitted.

Administrative criteria

To the extent possible, one First Peoples Medal shall be awarded annually by the Lieutenant Governor of Québec to a member of each of the First Nations and of the Inuit Nation recognized in Québec. However, the number of medals awarded may be lower or higher in the interest of fairness, taking into account representativeness and the number of nominations received.

Procedure

Individuals, community organizations and Indigenous authorities recognized in Québec may submit nominations by completing the online form for each recommended person. The due date is May 31 of each year.

The form will no longer be available online after the due date, so as to allow the necessary time for managers to process the nominations. No extensions of this due date shall be granted for submitting a nomination, regardless of the reason.

When completing the form, you must consider the following:

• The First Peoples Medal is not awarded automatically. If a nomination is accepted at the end of the selection process, the Office of the Lieutenant Governor will inform the medal recipient through an official letter and invitation. We invite you to preserve the confidentiality of every application. Acting accordingly avoids any unease, discomfort, or other inconvenience to the person or organization in the event that the application is not accepted. Discretion and caution are therefore required.
• It is very important to respect the use of accents, hyphens and upper or lower case when filling in the form.
• Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are mandatory.
• Information and texts written entirely in upper case generate errors. Therefore, this use is not permitted and will lead to the refusal of the application form.
• Give special attention to any letter inversion and to the correct spelling of the first and last names at birth of the nominee, since this information will be used “as is” for the recipient’s appellation.
• You must ensure that the nominee meets the program’s eligibility criteria—in particular, that he or she is a member of a First Nation or theInuit Nation recognized in Québec and that he or she was born or residing in Québec.
• In a text of no more than 750 words, written in an adequate and explanatory manner, describe how the actions of the nominee correspond to the involvement criteria mentioned previously, making her or him eligible:
1. Your application text must not be an enumeration in the style of a curriculum vitae, or contain only a listing of associations or actions. Such applications may be rejected.
2. To facilitate the understanding of your text, avoid the use of acronyms or abbreviations when you refer to committees, clubs or organizations. Provide their full name and, if necessary, briefly explain their nature.
3. The application will be assessed on the basis of your text. Be clear about the terminology and the deserving actions.
4. The presentation citation that is read at the outset of the award ceremony will be in the same language in which your text was submitted to the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, either English or French.
• In accordance with our writing guidelines, please summarize, in a text of no more than 60 words, the nominee’s significant actions and positive influence. This text will be used to introduce the recipient during the medal award ceremony, if the nomination is accepted.

Submit an application

Advisory Committee

Nominations will be submitted to an Advisory Committee made up of either First Nations or Inuit Nation representatives, depending on the category of medal to be awarded.

The Advisory Committee for the First Nations category is composed of a Chair-Secretary and 10 representative members from each of the 10 First Nations recognized in Québec, for a total of 11 individuals.

The Advisory Committee for the Inuit Nation category is composed of a Chair-Secretary and at least 2 members representing the Inuit Nation recognized in Québec.

This Advisory Committee is a body whose role is:

• to advise the Lieutenant Governor on the administration of the First Peoples Medal;
• to evaluate the submitted nominations, select the recipients, and make its recommendations to the Lieutenant Governor in accordance with the rules determined for this purpose;
• to maintain the integrity, image and reputation of the First Peoples Medal.

The Advisory Committee is in no way linked to the Office of the Lieutenant Governor with regards to its role as identified above.

The Advisory Committee reserves the right to refuse any nomination which does not meet the eligibility criteria or for any other valid reason it deems appropriate.

Award Ceremony

The announcement of the award of the medal to each recipient will be made by means of an official letter from the Office of the Lieutenant Governor with information on the award ceremony. To receive their medal, each recipient must attend, in person, the ceremony to which they will be invited. However, a recipient may be represented by another person if the medal is awarded posthumously.

The medals will be presented to the recipients by the Lieutenant Governor at an official ceremony. The Office of the Lieutenant Governor will make every effort to ensure that the medal is awarded within two calendar years from the date of the award.

There are no monetary awards associated with the Lieutenant Governor of Québec Awards Program.