Elizabeth Rose Charlie

Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, 1990

A member of the Chehalis Band and the Sto:lo Nation, Rose Charlie has worked tirelessly for 25 years to right the many injustices her people suffered under both federal and provincial jurisdictions. As a board member of Indian Rights for Women, she was at the forefront of the drive to remove discriminatory provisions from the Indian Act that deprived First Nations women of their rights and privileges because they had married non-status men. As a result, in 1985, thousands of women and their children regained their rights and privileges as First Nations people. Her efforts won her immediate recognition and an award from the Gitsxan Wet'suwet'en Tribal Council. She has also received the National Year of the Child Award from the B.C. Government and a Certificate of Merit from the Government of Canada. In 1994, Charlie received the Governor General's Award. Charlie is trained as an Elder and Leader in Salish traditional culture, is President of the Indian Homemakers Association of B.C., and is a community member of the National Parole Board. Her community involvement has covered countless boards, advisory groups and local committees, including the B.C. Human Rights Commission, the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, the Native Women's Association of Canada, the Vancouver Police Commission, the National Indian Brotherhood, and the Vancouver Indian Friendship Centre. Despite an exhausting level of commitment to her people, she and her husband Peter also found time to raise six children.

Photo by Jill Baird, 1994