They are names synonymous with compassion, decades of public service and a life-long commitment to bridging cultural divides.
For the first time since its inception, organizers with the upcoming 2024 Indigenous Partnerships Success Showcase (IPSS) will mark its inaugural awards show component by recognizing the Honourable Larry Campbell and Wendy Grant-John, each receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award for Championing Reconciliation.
Grant-John and Campbell will be celebrated on the opening day of the conference, which runs June 5 and 6 at the Vancouver Convention Centre.
“When we decided to have these recognitions and awards, we asked around the table, “Who should be honoured?’ and Larry Campbell’s name came up again and again,” says IPSS founder Stewart Muir. “And with Wendy Grant-John, she has been attached to so many notable accomplishments with respect to business. She really is someone whose name you hear nothing but good about.”
Grant-John has worked for more than 30 years to advance the causes of aboriginal peoples. She served three terms as chief of the Musqueam First Nation and was the first woman in Canada elected to the office of regional chief (British Columbia) for the Assembly of First Nations, a post she held for four years. In 1997, she was a close runner-up for the position of national chief with the Assembly. She has served as a lay bencher of the Law Society of British Columbia.
Born in Brantford, Ont., Campbell became a steelworker before joining the RCMP. He established Vancouver's first district coroner's office and later served as chief coroner. As mayor of Vancouver, he pioneered the Four Pillars Drug strategy. Campbell also played a key role in securing the 2010 Winter Olympic Games and the Woodlands site redevelopment. Appointed to the Senate in 2005, he focused on drug policy, mental health, and Aboriginal issues.
Those attending the Lifetime Achievement Award component of the showcase, which is a separately-ticketed event, will enjoy a plated three-course dinner and wine service, as well as a cash bar.
Indigenous business advocate and fashion influencer Talaysay Campo will also deliver a speech, while dinner will conclude with a series of performances by rock band Bitterly Divine and multimedia artist Cory Bulpitt.
Now running in its third year, IPSS has become the West Coast's premier conference on partnerships between Indigenous peoples, the business community, and Canadians in general. IPSS stands out from competitors because it is not primarily a B-to-B conference, but what organizers call a "business to Canadians" conference.
In short, IPSS isn't a business conference – it's a movement rooted in a positive atmosphere of hope and collaboration.
The key theme for this year’s IPSS is on Reconciliation in Action, and responding to the growing demand for practical guidance on how First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities and their enterprise partners can work together, in common purpose, for shared success.
“I think these values are shared by many in the community, especially by those who want to contribute toward reconciliation in all spheres of business or cultural life, but may not feel equipped,” Muir says. “IPSS will provide guidance, inspiration and networking opportunities to fuel practical steps toward reconciliation.”
Tickets for this year’s IPSS are available at www.indigenoussuccess.ca/2024-tickets.
