The Guelph Lecture - On Being Canadian 2011

Madeleine Redfern

Madeleine Redfern

Born in Frobisher Bay (now Iqaluit) in 1967, Madeleine Redfern was elected Mayor of Iqaluit on December 13th, 2010. Redfern holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Victoria in conjunction with the Akitsiraq Law School. Following graduation, Redfern served as the first Inuk law clerk at the Supreme Court of Canada, under Justice Louise Charron.

An outspoken member of the Iqaluit community as a social justice advocate and businessperson, Redfern has dedicated much of her 20-year career to advocating for the needs and values of Inuit and aboriginal peoples. Her work and passion has taken her to varied roles within both non-governmental and government sectors, in Northern and Southern Canada. Redfern is a founding member of the Wabano Aboriginal Health Centre and a past president of Tungasuvvingat Inuit Community Centre, both in Ottawa; a co-ordinator with Iqaluit Restorative Justice; a former secretary-treasurer of the Inuit Non-Profit Housing Corporation; and the Inuit representative on Kagita Mikam, an Ontario-based centre for aboriginal employment. Recently, Redfern served as executive director with the Qikitani Truth Commission, an Inuit-led initiative focused on documenting Northern events between 1950 and 1965 through oral history.

Redfern strives to be engaged with her community as a candid advocate for access to health, educational, and social resources in the North. She interacts readily and honestly with media and her constituents, often communicating through social networking sites such as Twitter.

Jane Bunnett

Jane Bunnett

Jane Bunnett is doubtlessly one of Canada's most intriguing and respected jazz performers. Classically trained on flute and soprano saxophone, Bunnett rapidly developed an international fan base following her artistic awakening to Afro-Cuban music in the early 1980s. Her adventurous style and technical skill have earned her numerous Juno and Grammy nominations, as well as an honorary Doctorate from Queen's University. Bunnett was also made an officer of the Order of Canada in 2004. In addition to touring tirelessly, Bunnett can be heard on more than 15 albums over the past 20 years as either a soloist or collaborator. Her most recent work, 2011's Cuban Rhapsody earned laudatory reviews from the Afro-Cuban community and critics alike. Bunnett currently resides in Toronto, ON.

Michael Helm

Michael Helm

Few Canadian authors have experienced the instant recognition that Michael Helm saw with his first novel (and, indeed, his first published work) The Projectionist, and its Giller Prize Nomination in 1997. The nomination placed Helm in the company of literary superstars such as Mordecai Richler and Carol Shields - a likening he would prove to live up to with the 2004 Rogers Writers' Trust- and Commonwealth Prize-nominated In The Place of Last Things, and with the 2010 Cities of Refuge. Helm has earned critical acclaim for his finely-crafted and deliberate prose, attributes that he impresses upon students as a professor in the Department of English at York University. Heavily involved with the North American literary community, Helm emphasises the role of creative writing as an effective means of communication. Helm lives near Dundas, ON.

Andrew McPherson

Andrew McPherson

The evening's emcee is Guelph-based Canadian producer, composer, remixer and multi-instrumentalist, Andrew McPherson has worked with a plethora of artists over his 20 year career, including Vieux Farka Touré, Deva Premal, Kiran Ahluwalia, Philosopher Kings, Delhi 2 Dublin, Stephen Fearing, Onkar Singh, Kate Schutt, Natalie McMaster, Jane Siberry and The Rankins. He is also the brains behind world fusion project Eccodek (2009 Juno nominees and 2 time Canadian Music Award winners). In 2010, Andrew released his 3rd solo album, Lefty Singer, voted a top-10 release by CBC's Fresh Air in addition to his collaborative, original soundtrack for Fritz Lang's Metropolis (Metropolis Re:Scored). September 2011 sees the release of Eccodek's 4th album, Remixtasy, another kaleidoscopic tour de force that traverses the globe's many musical compass points. Andrew is presently collaborating with Toronto based, L.A. drummer, Morgan Doctor on a new project of original songs. Andrew also maintains a busy life as a professional voice actor, having been the network announcer for Discovery Channel and voicing countless ad campaigns throughout Canada and the U.S. He is proud to be the M.C. for Guelph's celebrated Lecture on Being Canadian.

Andrew on the web:
http://andrewmcpherson.ca
http://www.eccodek.com
http://www.facebook.com/eccodek




The Eramosa Institute thanks its generous sponsors:

Musagetes Colley Insurance Knar Jewellery Bookshelf Eden Mills Writer's Festival Chubb Insurance C&I Technologies Inc. University of Guelph Manhattans Lyon Financial The Record Guelph Mercury Trans Canada Institute Canada Research Chairs Walter & Duncan Gordon Foundation Berge Hearing Clinic

The Guelph Lecture

Now in its ninth year, The Guelph Lecture - On Being Canadian has come to be known as a unique community event, inspiring a community conversation on what it means to be Canadian, through an evening of ideas, perspectives and cultural offerings. It is a night that also inspires individuals to think about what role our country could and should play in a changing world.

The Guelph Lecture - On Being Canadian is an offering of the Eramosa Institute, a not-for-profit, Charitable Organization (86498 9207 RR0001) that exists to promote and foster public dialogue on, and greater understanding of, ideas and issues of concern to Canadians.