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CBC
11-06-2025
- General
- CBC
Remembering Asger 'Red' Pedersen, former N.W.T. MLA and 'honourary Inuk'
Social Sharing The late Asger "Red" Pedersen had a number of feathers in his cap, as a twice-elected MLA, former cabinet minister and Speaker of the N.W.T. Legislative Assembly, former mayor of Kugluktuk, Nunavut, and as a member of both the Order of Nunavut and the Order of Canada. But according to his son, there was one title that meant more to Pedersen than any other: "honourary Inuk." "You know, those were his peers when he grew up here in the North. And he lived out on the land with many Inuit and worked with Inuit," said Fred Pedersen. "He thought that was a big honour." That title was bestowed upon Red Pedersen, who died on May 30 at the age of 89, by the Kitikmeot Inuit Association (KIA), which had also made him an honourary lifetime member. Flags at the KIA office in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, were flying at half-mast after his death, out of respect for an "incredible individual" who left a "permanent, positive mark on the North," according to a news release from KIA on Monday. Red Pedersen was born in Denmark and came to the Canadian North at the age of 17 to work for the Hudson's Bay Company. He then spent most of the rest of his life in the North, in different parts of the N.W.T. and Nunavut, and also moved south for periods of time to be closer to some of his children. But Fred Pedersen — who's now the executive director of the KIA — says his father would always return to Kugluktuk. "That was home for him, and that's where he felt most comfortable," Fred Pedersen said. "He first came up to the Arctic 72 years ago. So, you know, that was back in the [time of] dog teams and igloos and tents and things like that. So you know, when you're living in the Arctic back then, I think you have to be an outdoorsy person." Pedersen was first elected MLA for the Kitikmeot West riding in 1983, when Nunavut was still part of the N.W.T. He served two terms as MLA, also serving on the executive council and holding portfolios of culture and communications, renewable resources, and the status of women. He was named Speaker in 1987 and held that role until 1989. In a statement, the current N.W.T. Speaker, Shane Thompson, called Red Pedersen "a beacon of hope and strength." "Red's life was one of service, love, and humility. His passing leaves a tremendous void, but his legacy will continue in the lives he touched and the lessons he taught," Thompson said. Flags at the N.W.T. Legislative Assembly in Yellowknife were also lowered to half-mast to honour Pederson. His Speaker's portrait and robe were also displayed in the legislature building's Great Hall last week. In his statement, Thompson recalled first meeting Red Pederson in 1987, at a hockey rink in Kugluktuk. "It was clear from that first conversation that his passion was the people of the community—he truly considered them his family," Thompson said. James Eetoolook, a KIA board member and currently the acting president of the association, knew Pedersen for more than 70 years. He recalled being nine years old when he joined his father and Pedersen on a dog-team trip to Gjoa Haven. He said Pedersen was "just like another Inuk, to us." "He was good man. I liked him," said Eetoolook. "He'd rather be with the Kitikmeot people than people back home or whatever, in Denmark or whatever." Fred Pedersen described his father as someone who "was always ready and willing to help people." "You know, starting with his family, but other people as well, everybody in the community and people that he knew. You know, if someone needed a ride, he'd offer to give a ride or whatever," Fred said. Fred also recalled how, as an N.W.T. MLA in the 1980s, his father helped push for the creation of Nunavut. "He wanted to ensure that, you know, Inuit were able to control the territory," Fred said. More than anything, though, Red was a "family guy," his son recalled. Red had six children — two of them now deceased — and a total of 108 descendants, Fred said. "I've learned that from him that, you know, family's important. Work life is also important, but you need a balance and you need to ensure that, you know, you keep your family life number one," Fred said.
National Post
11-06-2025
- Business
- National Post
Carney picks Hydro-Quebec CEO Michael Sabia to head Privy Council
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney is tapping Michael Sabia, a veteran of the public and private sector, to head up the Privy Council Office in Ottawa. Article content Sabia's tenure as clerk of the Privy Council and secretary to cabinet will begin July 7, replacing John Hannaford who is retiring. Article content Article content Serving as the head of Hydro-Quebec since 2023, Sabia was Canada's deputy finance minister through the pandemic years and early recovery. Article content He served as the head of Quebec's public pension plan for over a decade before that and is a former CEO of Bell Canada Enterprises. Article content Sabia was named an officer of the Order of Canada in 2017. Article content
CTV News
11-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Michael Sabia, veteran of public and private sectors, to head Carney's Privy Council
Michael Sabia will serve as clerk of the Privy Council starting July 7, 2025. Sabia, at the time deputy finance minister, is pictured responding to a question as he testifies at the Public Order Emergency Commission, Thursday, November 17, 2022 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney is tapping Michael Sabia, a veteran of the public and private sector, to head up the Privy Council Office in Ottawa. Sabia's tenure as clerk of the Privy Council and secretary to cabinet will begin July 7, replacing John Hannaford who is retiring. Serving as the head of Hydro-Québec since 2023, Sabia was Canada's deputy finance minister through the pandemic years and early recovery. He served as the head of Quebec's public pension plan for over a decade before that and is a former CEO of Bell Canada Enterprises. Sabia was named an officer of the Order of Canada in 2017. The Privy Council offers non-partisan policy advice to the prime minister and cabinet and is responsible for managing the broader public service. CTV News is a division of Bell Media, which is part of BCE Inc. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 21, 2025. The Canadian Press
CBC
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
When actor Graham Greene got the call that he'd won a Governor General's Award, he thought it was a prank
Social Sharing With a dry sense of humour and a penchant for teasing, it's no wonder that acclaimed actor Graham Greene believed his own friends were pranking him when he got the call from Governor General Mary Simon's office letting him know he'd be receiving a Governor General's Performing Arts Award. "'Yeah, yeah, who is it?'" he recalls saying. "I found out it was true, and I said, 'Oh my gosh, I'm terribly sorry, I thought it was some friends playing a joke.' The same thing happened when I got the Order of Canada, I thought somebody was pulling my leg." The 72-year-old actor will be receiving a Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award for his vast body of work in stage and screen, which includes unforgettable portrayals of chiefs, medicine men, doctors, a judge (Molly's Game), a detective (Die Hard with a Vengeance) and a death row inmate (The Green Mile). For his performance as Kicking Bird, a Sioux medicine man in the 1990 film Dances with Wolves, he earned an Academy Award nomination. Often playing specifically Indigenous characters, and frequently speaking languages and representing tribes and nations not his own (he's Oneida from the Six Nations of the Grand River), Greene is one of the most recognizable Indigenous actors in North America. "It's wonderful to be recognized in your own country, and I'm grateful for that," he says. "I'm just a working actor and I'm lucky enough to survive as long as I did in the business. There's a lot of better actors that have not survived and there's some that are still active that never got any recognition, which is unfortunate." His four decades of acting all stemmed from Greene's fascination with human behaviour when he was a sound engineer for bands. He'd sit behind the sound console and watch the crowds instead of the band. "I just picked somebody and started asking questions and making things up about them." Filling in a character's backstory came naturally to him in film, but he wanted to bring more confidence to his acting, so he did theatre to develop discipline and learn "how to dance," as he calls ad-libbing. Some of his favourite "dance partners" have been Felicity Huffman and Mel Gibson, from Transamerica and Maverick, respectively. Actors Graham Greene and Tantoo Cardinal 4 days ago Duration 5:33 Two Canadian actors discuss what it was like to work with Hollywood's Kevin Costner in the 1990 movie Dances with Wolves. Despite announcing his retirement from acting, he says he gets more calls than ever. He tells his agent to send only the good stuff, and his requirements include working four days or less, very little dialogue and "a lot of money." Acclaimed television series The Last of Us and Reservation Dogs must have fit the criteria, as Greene made notable appearances in both in recent years. Sometimes, a little convincing brings him into the fold. The 2024 thriller/comedy Seeds was written specifically for Greene by the film's writer, director and star, Kaniehtiio Horn. "She says, 'I wrote a role for you, and you better do it.' I said, 'Well, I guess I better.'" Seeds is the closing night film of imagineNATIVE Film Festival, where Greene will receive another lifetime award, the August Schellenberg Award of Excellence.
CBC
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
P.E.I.'s Lennie Gallant returns with new album, his 1st English recording in 7 years
Social Sharing Acclaimed P.E.I. singer-songwriter Lennie Gallant is back with a new album, and it's one that's been a long time coming. Shelter from the Storms is the 16th album release of Gallant's illustrious career, but it's also his first English-language recording in seven years. Not that he hasn't been productive over that time. Gallant and his partner, Patricia Richard, recorded two albums in French as the duo Sirène et Matelot. Gallant also recorded a Christmas song with the Zimbabwean band Black Umfolosi. "So I was busy, but I didn't realize that seven years had passed since there was a bona fide, regular Lennie Gallant album," he told Mainstreet P.E.I. host Steve Bruce. "It was a bit of a shock when I found that out." No stranger to Canadian audiences in either language, Gallant has won 19 East Coast Music Awards and four Music P.E.I. Awards, and has earned three Juno nominations. He was also made a member of the Order of Canada in 2003. The 14-track Shelter from the Storms was released Friday, and is described on his website as "a powerful reflection on the turbulent times we live in, but also celebrating the enduring human capacity for dealing with these times through connection, love and laughter." Despite his years-long foray into francophone recordings, the Rustico native said he actually feels more at home writing songs in English. "I didn't speak French at all really until I was around 20," he said. "I was hanging around a lot of Acadians and I realized it was a strong part of my heritage. I come from a village that was once a francophone Acadian village, and unfortunately the language got kind of lost — and I decided to use music to regain it." 'We need connection' While Gallant said he has an extensive back-catalog of songs he hasn't recorded yet, most of the new album's music is based on new ideas. The first two singles, the title track and Counting on Angels, are meant to reflect the state of the world as it is now — the existential threat of climate change and the ever-changing political landscape in the United States that has, on occasion, represented a threat to Canada's sovereignty. "I think a lot of people are feeling that the world is… a little shaky right now in a lot of different ways," Gallant said. "A lot of the songs on the album are kind of talking about how to deal with difficult times and how much we need connection, how much we need to care for the planet itself and just care for each other." It's not all doom and gloom, though. Gallant describes the album as "eclectic," with a healthy dose of fun and laughter along the way. Take, for example, the song It Takes a lot of Liquor to Bury a Horse, inspired by a line delivered by friend and fellow musician Dave Gunn. Gunn and a friend had to, well, bury a horse that had died at his farm. He told Gallant about the experience later over the phone. "I guess they needed a lot of libation along the way," Gallant said with a laugh. "I said, 'Dave, that is a line that is just crying for a song.' And so I had to write a song about it." Gallant will launch Shelter from the Storms with a concert Sunday night at Harbourfront Theatre in Summerside. He'll eventually embark on a cross-country tour in support of the album. He said one of the best parts of bringing his show to audiences Canada-wide is having fun on stage with his band and channeling that energy to crowds. "People say after the show, 'You guys look like you're having so much fun up there,' as though we're putting [it] on," he said.
