Honorary Degree Recipients
UNB will grant honorary degrees to two distinguished citizens during its Fredericton Convocation on Oct. 24.
Shawn Atleo, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, to be doctor of letters.
Chief Shawn Atleo was raised to become the hereditary chief of the Ahousaht First Nation, part of the Nuu-chah-nulth Nation, and has held that position since 1999. He served two terms as the Assembly of First Nations’s regional chief in British Columbia and was selected as national chief in July 2009. Atleo received a master’s of education degree in adult learning and global change from the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia in 2003 and works as a leader, negotiator, facilitator, mediator, teacher and community activist. He is deeply committed to the education of aboriginal peoples. He has been the executive director of a first nation family addictions treatment facility and was managing director of a private aboriginal post-secondary training institute. In 2008, he was named chancellor of Vancouver Island University, becoming the first aboriginal university chancellor in the province’s history.
Atleo has also represented aboriginal peoples internationally, participating in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples talks and working with the indigenous caucus at the Organization of American States. He has participated in various events across the globe to highlight issues faced by indigenous peoples. In Canada, he co-chairs the national process of the Recognition and Implementation of First Nation Governments and co-chairs a national committee consisting of chiefs and expert advisors to advocate for first nation’s coastal fisheries. For his work promoting education, Atleo was awarded an honorary doctor of education from Nipissing University in 2010.
Paul Martin, former prime minister of Canada, to be doctor of laws
The Rt. Hon. Paul Martin, former Canadian prime minister (2003-2006), attended the University of Ottawa and the University of Toronto to receive a Bachelor of Arts degree. In 1966, he earned a law degree from the University of Toronto. Before entering politics, he was an executive with the Power Corporation of Canada and then chairman and CEO of Canada Steamship Lines, among other executive positions with major Canadian corporations. He also served on the board of governors for Concordia University.
Martin entered politics, holding several high profile positions in the Chretien cabinet, including minister of finance. Among his political successes, he erased a multi-billion dollar deficit, paid down debt, and brought in five consecutive budget surpluses. As prime minister, he implemented a $41-billion initiative to improve healthcare, signed a landmark agreement with the provinces and territories for a national early learning and childcare program, created a new financial deal for municipalities, achieved consensus on the Kelowna accord to provide equal opportunity for Canada’s aboriginal population and redefined marriage to include same-sex couples.
Since leaving office, Martin has worked with several organizations to reduce poverty and create sustainable development in Africa. He has served on the boards of Amnesty International, the Centre for Research and Action on Race Relations, the Canadian Centre for Arms Control, and is founding director of the North-South Institute and the Canadian Council for Native Business. Martin is currently the president of the Martin Aboriginal Education Initiative, an organization that works to keep aboriginal youth in school and to prepare them for successful careers. He co-founded the Capital for Aboriginal Prosperity and Entrepreneurship Fund with his son David, to foster and grow successful aboriginal businesses.
He has received honorary degrees from Concordia University (1998), Wilfred Laurier University (2001), the University of Western Ontario (2010), Queen’s University (2011), McMaster University (2011), and the University of Toronto (2011).
