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A pair of longtime friends and Indigenous advocates who became the first First Nations women to be appointed as ministers in the provincial government were honoured during a ceremony Sunday.

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Bernadette Smith, the housing, addictions, and homelessness minister, and Families minister Nahanni Fontaine were presented with star blankets and other gifts including new moccasins and eagle feathers “in recognition of their important contributions to our community, for their remarkable accomplishments, and for their steadfast leadership” at the Winnipeg Art Gallery-Qaumujug.

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Pine Creek First Nation’s Smith, the MLA for Point Douglas, was born and raised in the North End and was first elected in 2017.

She is one of the co-founders of the Drag the Red Initiative that began after the discovery of Tina Fontaine’s body. Smith’s sister, Claudette Osborne, has been missing since July 2008.

Both Smith and Fontaine are advocates for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two Spirit, for which Fontaine has served as the NDP spokesperson.

Fontaine, from Sagkeeng Anicinabe First Nation, has served as St. John’s MLA since 2016, and is also the province’s minister responsible for accessibility and for gender equity.

Raised in the North End, Fontaine is also an advocate for Indigenous justice, and anti-violence/harm reduction initiatives and holds a Masters degree in native studies, women’s studies and critical theory from the University of Manitoba.

Members of the Indigenous community, along with families, friends and fellow NDP MLAs and other politicians were part of the audience in attendance.

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