We are happy to announce this year’s Harmony Essay Prize winner! What a wonderful year of writings and we thank every one who submitted a piece to the contest.

Second Place

With the second place prize we have Lara Jobson with their paper Indigenous Legal Perspective: The One Thing Missing from Canada’s Legal System.

“I am a member of Saddle Lake Cree Nation in Treaty 6 territory. I just recently graduated from Carleton University in Ottawa when I obtained my Bachelor of Arts Degree in Indigenous Studies and Law and a minor in Political Science. Now I work in Transport Canada in the Ontario Indigenous Relations Unit. Indigenous Legal traditions have always sparked my interest especially while studying law in school and thus helped me write this paper!” says Jobson.

Read their essay here.

First Place

In first place is Ashton Harry with her research paper and recommendations titled Matriarchs in the Making: Empowering Women in Tl’etinqox.

“Sid soughzi Ashton Harry. Tsilhqot’in Deni neslin. Se?etsu victories stump Xinli. Se?inkwel Eleanor Cooper. 

My name is Ashton Harry. I am from the Tsilhqot’in (chilcotin) nation. My late grandmother was victorine stump, and my mother is Eleanor Cooper. 

I was raised by many matriarchs in my life. I was also lucky to be raised by men who respected the matriarchy. I grew up being engulfed in my culture and teachings, and have become a woman who chooses to share those teachings with others. 

I am a recent Masters graduate from Royal Roads University. I also just got my own business off the ground. I am the sole owner of Ashton Lacey Consulting. I use the knowledge I attained in Western society,  along with the experience I gained being the Executive Director and a member of chief and council for the previous 4.5 years to help other Indigenous communities advance themselves. I am living my passion by finding ways to help our people move forward in a manner that suits them. I have always dreamed about helping our people, and if I can do that, as well as advance the leadership of women in our communities then I believe whole heartedly I am contributing to becoming a good ancestor.”

Read Ashton’s paper here.