Recipients of the Order of Ontario are deemed to have made significant contributions in the areas of education, arts, community and public service, science and medicine, citizenship and multiculturalism, business, or sports. Those invested into the Order are held in the highest esteem as examples of excellence for all Ontarians. Professor Craft is among 24 new appointees to the Order.
Professor Craft is an internationally recognized researcher in Indigenous laws, treaties and water rights, committed to promoting truth, reconciliation and decolonization. She is of Métis, Anishinaabe, French, Cree and Irish descent and has dedicated her career to working alongside Indigenous individuals and communities from a variety of Indigenous nations, both in the context of her academic scholarship and her professional legal work. Professor Craft’s exceptional interdisciplinary research initiatives on Indigenous legal traditions and Canadian Aboriginal law have allowed her to make a marked impact on Canadian law and policy, establishing her as one of our nation’s most promising legal minds.
Professor Craft’s research primarily explores Indigenous law related to protecting the earth and water. She works with many Indigenous nations and communities on Indigenous relationships with and responsibilities to nibi (water). She also plays an active role in international collaborations related to transformative memory in colonial contexts as well as the reclamation of Indigenous birthing practices as expressions of territorial sovereignty. While Professor Craft’s disciplinary home is law, she has many fruitful collaborations in health, social work, Indigenous studies, history, gender studies, geography and more. She works to reach both academic and public audiences, and takes special care to ensure that her research program promotes knowledge exchange within Indigenous communities, fostering continued exchange between knowledge keepers and youth.
Along with the other new appointees, Professor Craft will be presented with the Order of Ontario insignia by Ontario’s Lieutenant Governor, the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, at an investiture ceremony on November 21, 2022.
"As Chancellor of the Order, I join Ontarians in congratulating the 2021 Order of Ontario appointees,” said Her Honour Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario and Chancellor of The Order of Ontario. “Their service to our province is a reminder to all of us fortunate enough to call Ontario home, that the fabric of society is knit together by good deeds and the dedication of individuals. May their accomplishments be an inspiration and example for many to follow.”
Congratulations to Professor Craft on this exceptional achievement!