The Order of Gabriel Dumont Gold Medal recognizes a lifetime of outstanding service to the Métis Nation. The Silver Medal honours those who have made significant contributions to the Métis, while the Bronze Medal honours GDI students and alumni who have distinguished themselves through leadership, community involvement and overall performance.
This year’s honouring ceremony took place at the Saskatoon Inn and Conference Centre as part of the GDI 40th Anniversary Culture and Educational Conference.
“I feel very fortunate and honoured to receive this award from the Gabriel Dumont Institute in recognition of the work I and other Métis leaders and elders from Saskatchewan have done to promote our rights within this province,” said President Chartier. “I am especially pleased to have a revered institution such as GDI issue this award, as it is the leading educational and cultural institution in the Métis Nation homeland which has done so much to protect and promote the integrity of our people here in western Canada.”
In addition to President Chartier’s Gold medal award, there are two other gold medal recipients, two silver medal recipients and 20 bronze medal recipients. Among this year’s bronze medal recipients, Tanzy Janvier, is a granddaughter of President Chartier, who received a GDI Bronze Medal yesterday.
“The Order of Gabriel Dumont is awarded by the Gabriel Dumont Institute to persons who have distinguished themselves with outstanding service to the Métis of Canada,” said Geordy McCaffrey, GDI executive director. “It is one of the Métis Nation’s highest civilian honours, awarded to Métis and non-Métis individuals based on their achievements and lifetime contributions.”
Biography
Clément Chartier, QC.
Buffalo Narrows, Saskatchewan
Clément (Clem) Chartier of Buffalo Narrows was born at Ile a la Crosse where he later attended residential school. He is a lawyer, writer, lecturer and activist who has served in both political and administrative capacities with numerous Indigenous peoples’ organizations nationally and internationally. Mr. Chartier is currently serving his fifth-term as President of the Métis National Council. He has pushed the Métis Nation’s rights agenda at various levels of Canada’s judicial system and continues to provide counsel in on-going Métis-specific cases. In particular, President Chartier has defended a number of Métis hunting and fishing rights test cases across Saskatchewan, including R. v. Morin and Daigneault (1997) which established harvesting rights in northern Saskatchewan and R. v. Belhumeur (2007) which established harvesting rights in the Qu’Appelle Valley Area. Over the past three years, President Chartier has successfully led the Métis Nation in the new nation-to-nation relationship with Canada, and securing, the first time in the Métis Nation’s history, over $2 billion in the last two federal budgets. This included funding for Métis post-secondary education.
Watch video – President Chartier’s remarks at the GDI Gala Celebration
