CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI—Rikki Schock has been a fixture on the Aboriginal scene for years on Prince Edward Island. A mother and grandmother, she is the Vice-President of the Native Council of PEI. A long-time resident of South Pinette and well-known Aboriginal advocate, Schock is Canada’s newest member of the Aboriginal Order of Canada.

On October 19, 2012, Schock learned she had been chosen for the special honor at the annual meeting of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples in Ottawa.

“I almost fainted when I heard my name,” Ms Schock said. “At first I just sat there in a daze. My daughter said, ‘Mom, that’s you’, so she actually had to help me get up and walk.”

Schock has spent almost 30 years as part of the Native Council of PEI and has been the devoted president and CEO of the Belfast Fire Department for 21 years. In 1985, she was the department’s first female firefighter.

“The Aboriginal Order of Canada, that’s the highest honor a Native person in Canada can receive. It means a lot to me because it has to be agreed upon by all of the board members and all my peers. It’s very special. I’m in awe.”

The award was created by the Native Council of Canada in 1993. It is awarded on a random basis, to Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians who have made significant achievements and efforts to advance the social, political and economic goals of aboriginal Canadians. These people are highlighted and honored so that they can serve as role models for future generations. It was also created to address the lack of Aboriginal recognition by the federal government with the awarding of the Order of Canada.

Ms Schock was also given the Queen’s Jubilee medal that day.