Dr. Jeannette Corbiere Lavell to be recognized at Virus of Inequality Symposium

Press Release

OTTAWA (April 29, 2026) — Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Linda Debassige is grateful for the over 50 years of dedication to women’s rights by Dr. Jeannette Corbiere Lavell, who will be honoured on the opening evening of the Virus of Inequality Symposium in Ottawa.

“Our E-niigaanwidood E’Dbendaagzijig Jeannette Corbiere Lavell has been fighting for women’s equality in the Indian Act since the early 1970s,” says Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Linda Debassige. “Jeannette is a strong Anishinaabekwe, a women’s rights activist and educator, who continues to advocate that the One-Parent Rule adopted by the Anishinabek Nation and recognizing the sovereign right of the Anishinabek to decide citizenship is the solution to the problems being addressed in Bill S-2, An Act to amend the Indian Act (new registration entitlements).”

The Virus of Inequality Symposium is hosted by Senator Marilou McPhedran, gathering some of Canada’s women leaders on justice, rights, and gender-parity for an evening of bold talks and honouring. Jeannette is one of “Four Femtors” being recognized for their leadership in the struggle for women’s rights. The Honourable Jean Augustine, Dr. Michele Landsberg, and Nancy Ruth are the other “Femtors” being recognized. Dr. Pam Palmater will be presenting Jeannette with her recognition.

As the E-niigaanwidood E’Dbendaagzijig (Citizenship Commissioner) for the Anishinabek Nation, Jeannette has long been promoting E’Dbendaagzijig ‘Those who belong’ and the One-Parent Rule. The recent Declaration on E’Dbendaagzijig states that only Anishinabek First Nations have the right to decide who belongs in their communities, and that the Government of Canada has an obligation to recognize and support inherent, Aboriginal, and treaty rights by recognizing First Nation rights. She has often said that the only way to stop the forced assimilation that continues today under the second-generation cut-off is to follow the One-Parent Rule. On behalf of the Indian Act Sex Discrimination Working Group, Jeannette is scheduled to present to the Senate Standing Committee on Indigenous Peoples on the morning of April 30 on Bill S-2, which includes advocating for the implementation of the One-Parent Rule.

Jeannette was born on Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory on Manitoulin Island, Ontario, but her life’s pursuits have resonated across Canada and beyond.

She studied business and became an active member of the First Nation community in Toronto. With the Company of Young Canadians, she worked with First Nations across this country. In 1965, she was named Indian Princess of Canada.

Yet in 1970, because she married a non-First Nation man, which under the provisions of the Indian Act meant that she was stripped of her legal Status as an “Indian” and consequently lost many rights. Among them, her right to pass on Status to her children; the right to live on, own, or inherit Reserve Land; the right to participate in the community’s social and political life; and the right to be buried in her home cemetery with her Ancestors. By contrast, a First Nation man with Status who married a non-First Nation woman did not face the same losses and would keep his Indian status and pass it on to his wife and children.

Jeannette challenged section 12(1)(b) of the Indian Act under the reasoning that it discriminated by gender. Her landmark case went all the way to the Supreme Court in 1973. Although that specific case did not prevail, it paved the way for momentous change, and over a decade later, section 12 of the Indian Act was repealed.

Since then, Jeannette has relentlessly fought “against unfairness and injustice.” She is a founding member of the Ontario Native Women’s Association, serving first as Vice-Chairwoman, then as President, and currently as an Honourary Lifetime Board Member. She has also been President of the Native Women’s Association of Canada, and Anduhyaun Inc., a Toronto residence for Indigenous women. Promoting creativity and the arts, she is a long-time board member of Debajehmujig Storytellers.

Jeannette went on to earn her teaching degree and became a school principal. She has been a Cabinet Appointee to the Commission on the Native Justice System, an education and employment counsellor, and an Ontario government consultant to the community.

In 1995, she was given the YMCA Women of Distinction Award. In 2009, she was honoured with the Governor General’s Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case for making an outstanding contribution to gender equality. In 2012, the Governor General of Canada presented her with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

In 2016, York University conferred on her an Honourary Doctor of Laws degree from the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies. In 2017, she accepted an Honourary Doctorate of Education from Nipissing University. In June 2019, she was awarded an Honourary Doctorate of Laws from Trent University.

On September 6, 2018, Governor General Julie Payette invested Jeannette as a member of the Order of Canada.

The Anishinabek Nation is a political advocate for 39 member First Nations across Ontario, representing approximately 70,000 citizens. The Anishinabek Nation is the oldest political organization in Ontario and can trace its roots back to the Confederacy of Three Fires, which existed long before European contact.

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