Province's longest-serving female chief to get Order of Manitoba

She fought for the lives of missing and murdered Indigenous girls and women to be recognized as valuable long before Canada allowed for the conversation. Now, War Lake First Nation Chief Betsy Kennedy is receiving the Order of Manitoba.

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The order is recognizing the province's longest-serving female chief for health, environmental and economic contributions to her community, but according to Kennedy, those contributions are the result of shared goals.

"I had a lot of people assisting and helping … especially with the missing and murdered women file," she said.

Bernadette Smith, a Winnipeg-based activist who also devotes time to gathering resources to end the Canadian crisis, is receiving the Order of Manitoba, too. Smith's sister, Claudette Osborne, disappeared from Winnipeg's North End in 2008.

The women are two of 11 people to be added to the order in 2016.

For Kennedy, families like Smith's — those that never stop searching for their own girls and women — are at the foundation of her work.

Years ago, at a time when news organizations were not covering the issue and certainly not compiling national databases of Indigenous women who died or disappeared, Kennedy observed members of the public verbally attack family members as they walked to raise awareness of their plight.

"It was unbelievable that people really have some bad things to say about our loved ones that are gone or missing," she said.

"I realized then this needs to be brought out more. We have to change people's minds about how they think about our women … We need to be respected."

Even as the Canadian conversation started, Kennedy was silenced — under the Harper government, the chief said she was cut off by Conservative members of Parliament while presenting on the topic in Ottawa.

Still, she persisted and she said she is pleased to know a national inquiry is underway.

"To stop the violence against everybody, that's the most important thing," she said.

Outside of her work on missing and murdered Indigenous girls and women, Kennedy said she is most proud of bringing employment to War Lake First Nation by partnering with Manitoba Hydro on projects.

A new fish centre in the community, where anyone can get free fish; new housing, a new gas bar and a youth centre are also among Kennedy's greatest accomplishments, she said.

So, what does the Order of Manitoba mean to someone who has enriched the lives of Indigenous people in the province? A chance to show them that change is possible, she said.

According to Kennedy, the honour's value can be summarized in a simple message to Canada's Indigenous Peoples: "Let's take care of ourselves."