Two Anishinabek Nation citizens to be recognized with Indspire Awards
By Sam Laskaris
CALGARY – A leader in Indigenous law and a high-ranking public servant will be among the latest individuals to be recognized nationally with Indspire Awards.
It was recently announced that Dianne Corbiere, a lawyer from M’Chigeeng First Nation, and Peter Dinsdale, a citizen of Curve Lake First Nation who is the president and CEO of YMCA Canada, will be recipients of 2019 Indspire Awards.
These awards, previously known as the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards, recognize Indigenous excellence across Canada in various categories.
Corbiere and Dinsdale will be two of the 12 award recipients for 2019. They will be honoured at a reception in Calgary on Feb. 22.
Corbiere is being recognized via the Law & Justice category while Dinsdale was chosen through the Public Service class.
Corbiere is a managing partner of Nahwegahbow, Corbiere Genoodmagejig/Barristers & Solicitors, a law firm located in Chippewas of Rama First Nation. She lives in a nearby rural community in Simcoe County.
“Our firm represents First Nations exclusively,” said Corbiere, who graduated from the law school at the University of Toronto in 1995. “Having an opportunity to work for them is pretty important to me.”
Corbiere, 50, is thrilled that she is being honoured with an Indspire Award.
“I should retire, right?” she joked. “From my perspective, this is the award for Indigenous people in Canada.”
Corbiere added being recognized with a prestigious national accolade makes her a bit uncomfortable.
“You want to work for your people,” she said. “This is such an honour. But I’m also a little embarrassed. Maybe embarrassed is not the right word.”
Corbiere, however, is very much a worthy recipient.
With her law firm, she focuses on treaty and Aboriginal rights for First Nations. She has represented numerous First Nations in Ontario, Quebec and Alberta. In addition, she has also worked for tribal council and First Nation organizations.
Besides assisting clients with Aboriginal and treaty rights, Corbiere has also assisted with issues about land claims, natural resource management, gaming, sovereignty and self-government as well as corporate and commercial law.
And no, Corbiere does not have any plans to call it quits any time soon.
“I just want to continue doing what I’m doing for our people,” she said.
Corbiere has also been presented with several other accolades for her accomplishments over the years. For example, in 2012, she was the first Indigenous person named to Canadian Lawyer Magazine’s Top 25 influential lawyers list.
Corbiere’s impressive resume also includes the fact that since 2016 she has served as a bencher for the Law Society of Ontario, where she helps to influence policy decisions.
As for Dinsdale, he was appointed to the Order of Ontario this past March; however, he considers being named an Indspire Award recipient even more impressive.
“This is by far more significant,” said Dinsdale, who now lives in Ottawa.
Dinsdale has been the president and CEO of YMCA Canada since 2016.
He joined this national federation after he left his post as the chief executive officer of the Assembly of First Nations.
Dinsdale said many Indigenous and non-Indigenous people questioned him on why he would leave a national Indigenous organization to join YMCA Canada.
“Part of it was to show Indigenous people can have an impact in mainstream positions,” he said.
Dinsdale is hoping his current post inspires other Indigenous people to aim for and seek prestigious jobs including those with non-Indigenous groups.
“I think it is a work in progress,” he said of the education that is occurring and still needs to be done in terms of getting Indigenous people to land important jobs at noteworthy companies.
Dinsdale’s previous public servant jobs include serving as the executive director of the National Association of Friendship Centres and as the urban Aboriginal homelessness manager at the Ontario Federation of Indian Friendship Centres.