Canada’s Next Prime Minister a recipient of the National Aboriginal Achievement Award

 

 

 

 

 

March 24, 2008

Canada’s Next Prime Minister a recipient of the National Aboriginal Achievement Award

TORONTO — Alika Lafontaine, a 25-year-old Métis medical student from Saskatchewan, was named Canada’s Next Great Prime Minister on the annual reality-TV competition Sunday night.

Three former prime ministers, Kim Campbell, John Turner and Paul Martin and Premier Danny Williams made up the panel that grilled four remaining contestants with questions and fictional scenarios. A recipient of the national Aboriginal Achievement Foundation’s Youth Recipient Award in 1999 and a recipient of several NAAF scholarship and bursaries, Alika was one of 10 finalists out of thousands who joined the contest.

Lafontaine credits his win with “speaking from the heart” and hopes his victory will inspire other aboriginal youth. “You really can have it all if you put the time and effort in,” he said.

Alika was raised in Regina, SK, Canada with his three brothers and one sister. Alika now currently resides in Saskatoon and is attending the University of Saskatchewan. Alika recently graduated with his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Regina and is currently in is his first year of medical school at the University of Saskatchewan.

Alike recently performed with his siblings as The Fifth Generation in the 15th Annual National Aboriginal Achievement Awards.

“Alika has been involved with the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation for over 10 years. He has been supported by our bursary program since he began his post-secondary studies, performed in some our annual awards galas and most importantly was awarded the Youth Recipient Award in 1999,” says National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation CEO Roberta Jamieson.

“These are the kind of students the foundation is especially proud of and we all congratulate him on this tremendous accomplishment.”

Canada’s Next Great Prime Minister is the successor to a program established by Magna International Inc. in 1995 to provide a national forum for young Canadians to put forth innovative proposals for a more prosperous country.

The National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation (NAAF) is a nationally registered non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds to deliver programs that provide the tools necessary for Aboriginal youth to achieve brighter futures. Since 1985 the Foundation has awarded more than $27.3-million in scholarships and bursaries to First Nations, Inuit and Métis students across the country in all disciplines, including law, medicine, education, psychology, fine arts, business and computer sciences. Over $3-million was distributed in the last year.

The 15th Annual National Aboriginal Achievement Awards will be broadcast on April 5 on APTN at 8 pm.

For more information, please contact:
Jamie Monastyrski
NAAF Director of Communications and Media
Phone:416-903-4331
E-mail:jmonastyrski @ naaf.ca (no spaces)