Women in Music Canada reveals nominees for inaugural honours

Women in Music Canada (WIMC), a non-profit working to create gender equality in the Canadian music industry, has revealed the long list of nominees for the organization's inaugural honours.

This year's nominees include Fefe Dobson, Charlotte Cardin, Tanika Charles, Domanique Grant, Jessia and more.

The honours program celebrates successful industry members and artists across several categories including artist of the year, distinguished leader, entrepreneur of the year, excellence in live music, international leader of the year and organization of the year. A jury will vote on the long list nominees to determine who will be honoured in each category. 

"I have been told often over that last few months that this recognition program has been needed for a long time," Robyn Stewart, WIMC executive director, said in a press release. "On behalf of the WIM Canada board, we couldn't be more excited to recognize the long list today, and to bring the Canadian music community together to celebrate March 8, on International Women's Day."

The honours reception dinner and awards presentation will be hosted by CBC's Saroja Coelho and feature performances by Dobson, Sacha, Liliane Chlela, Desirée Dawson and Tia Wood.

Juno-winning singer-songwriter Loreena McKennitt will be inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame at the event, which takes place at the Opera House in Toronto. 

The full long list of nominees is available below:

• Amanda Power (The Unison Fund)
• Amber Moyle (Polaris Music Prize)
• Anna Ruddick (The Unison Fund)
• Anne Stirk (Spotify Canada)
• Ashley Bieniarz – Songsmiths
• Béatrice Martin (Bravo musique and Coeur de pirate)
• Carey Riley (Sony Music Canada)
• Charlotte Cardin
• DeeDee Austin
• Domanique Grant
• Elise Roller (Misfit Music MGMT)
• Faryal Khan-Thompson (TuneCore)
• Fefe Dobson (21 Entertainment Group Inc.)
• Fredericka Petit-Homme
• Heather Gibson (National Arts Centre)
• Irish Mythen 
• Janna Sailor (Allegra Chamber Orchestra)
• Jenn Ivanovs (Jives Management)
• Jessica Holtby (Seeka Sings)
• Jessica Lemmon (Lemmon Entertainment)
• Jessika Harling (Jessia)
• Karen Kosowski
• Katrina Kernaghan (TikTok)
• Lana Winterhalt (Good + Plenty Producer's Club)
• Marilyne Lacombe (Mothland)
• Mary Beth Waldram (Laughing Heart Music)
• Monika Ouellet (Lazermortis)
• Nico Paulo
• Nicole Auger (Indigenous Music Alliance)
• Nicole Alosinac (Nicole Alosinac Luthiery)
• Ryhna Thompson (Envision Management & Production)
• Samantha Pickard (Strut Entertainment)
• Sandy Graham (EMG)
• Shantel Noel (Spotify)
• Sharine Taylor (Independent/Bashy)
• Shauna de Cartier (Six Shooter Records)
• ShoShona Kish (Ishkode Records/Indigenous Music Alliance)
• Shumaila Hemani 
• Stacey Bedford (Bandzoogle)
• Stone Age UG (Stone Age Entertainment)
• Storry
• Sunny Chen (Sad China)
• Tanika Charles
• Tyler Tasson (Endemic Marketing)
• Yolanda Sargeant (Sargeant X Comrade)