Windspeaker publisher Bert Crowfoot appointed to Order of Canada

Bert Crowfoot, a respected journalist and acclaimed photographer, founder of the Aboriginal Multi-Media Society of Alberta (AMMSA), publisher of Windspeaker.com and CEO of the Windspeaker Radio Network, has been appointed an officer of the Order of Canada.

Crowfoot, a member of Siksika Nation in Alberta, was one of 80 individuals from across the country to be recognized by Governor General of Canada Mary Simon, who made the announcement via a news release on Dec. 31.

Crowfoot said he knew in October he would be added to the prestigious list of exceptional Canadians. Since the honour was created in 1967, only about 8,250 appointments have been made to the Order.

“They told me to sit on it, except for my close family,” Crowfoot said of sharing news of the accomplishment.

There are three levels associated with the Order of Canada. The Companion level, which included a half-dozen appointees in the latest announcement, is for those recognized for their international work. Among the recent recipients is Raffi Cavoukian, a songwriter and entertainer who has championed children’s rights and well-being with his messages of love, environmental stewardship and social responsibility.

Crowfoot was amongst 15 individuals recognized at the Officer level for efforts across the Canadian stage.

And 59 others were singled out at the Member level for their local contributions. Among the Member appointments is Michelle Frances Good of the Red Pheasant Cree Nation in Saskatchewan, who is esteemed for her work as an activist, lawyer and storyteller. Her debut novel titled Five Little Indians was acclaimed. The book tells the story of five survivors of the Indian residential school system.

Crowfoot said he never anticipated being an Order of Canada appointee.

“I was kind of blown away and shocked,” said Crowfoot. “But I'm really happy and ecstatic. Those are all the emotions you get when you find out something like this.” He expects to attend the recipient ceremony in Ottawa later this year.

Crowfoot has received numerous accolades over the years. He was presented an Honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Alberta in June 2023. That same year he was the recipient of a Blackfoot headdress transfer from Siksika Nation leaders.

Crowfoot began his journalism career in 1977, writing freelance sports stories for Native People, which was published by the Alberta Native Communications Society.

Crowfoot founded AMMSA in 1983 and started a newspaper called AMMSA that would soon after be renamed Windspeaker. Within a short time, the non-profit organization would launch radio station CFWE North, Alberta’s Best Country, and now has grown to include four other radio stations in the province,  CJWE South, also Country, 89.3 The Raven Edmonton – 88.1 FM HD 3 Calgary, Blues, Rock, CUZIN Radio, an Indigenous Community Radio Network providing 24/7 wrap around radio service, and Red Beats Radio, Hip Hop. Listen live through the links.

“One of the ones that I'm most proud of is AMMSA,” Crowfoot said of career highlights. “It's grown from a small newspaper that covered northern Alberta.”

Crowfoot has overcome a number of obstacles throughout his career in the news industry, including in 1990 when the federal government cut funding grants to all Indigenous newspapers. But Crowfoot saw the move as an opportunity. 

The majority of Indigenous publications that existed across the country at the time folded. Crowfoot persevered and decided that since there was a void to fill, he would turn Windspeaker into a national publication.

“I’ve always tried to stay abreast of what's coming as far as technology, as far as fads or social media,” he said. Windspeaker has gone from a hard copy newspaper to a digital version to an online news service.

“So, 36 years after we lost our funding, we're still here in an online news service format and a newsletter,” he said.

Crowfoot is approaching the 50-year mark in the journalism industry. He’ll hit it in 2027.

“I'm having a lot of fun right now,” he said. “And it's super exciting because of some of the things that we're working on, especially in radio.”

Crowfoot also credited his employees for his latest accomplishment.

“I'm proud of the staff at AMMSA that continues to work hard to keep us in front of all of the things that we've tried, whether it be radio, whether it be print or whether it be online news,” he said.

Crowfoot also heaped praised upon AMMSA’s board of directors.

“We've had an awesome board,” he said, adding a friend who is a sports psychologist told him many years ago to surround himself with positive people and get out of their way. “And that's what I did.”

That’s why Crowfoot believes others should be properly credited for any success directed his way. “When I get this type of recognition, it's not something that I did by myself,” he said.

Crowfoot also said he once heard an award recipient declare that he was standing on the shoulders of a lot of people who put him in a position to be able to be recognized.

“That's exactly what happens in this situation,” he said. “There's a lot of people who have helped build AMMSA over the years. They contributed to us achieving what we have.”

Noel McNaughton, who has served on the AMMSA board for more than 40 years, had nominated Crowfoot for his honorary doctorate. And last year he provided Order of Canada representatives with plenty of details about Crowfoot’s career.

McNaughton is thrilled Crowfoot is being recognized, but doesn’t necessarily believe it’s an overdue honour.

“To gain that kind of reputation or standing, it takes a while,” McNaughton said. “You can't just start out when you're young and suddenly become an important person. You've got to do stuff for a long time and be an example and be successful and lead people. And those are the things that Bert has done.”

McNaughton said he believes the longevity displayed by Crowfoot and AMMSA in the industry means two things. 

“One is we are an example of a successful Indigenous organization,” he said. “We're the most successful in Canada and one of the most successful in North America.”

McNaughton said AMMSA has allowed Indigenous people to tell their stories.

“We're storytellers,” he said. “And we tell the story of the people who are our audience. We reflect their lives back to them and what's happening in their communities.”

Crowfoot’s talents transcended the news industry and spilled into the sporting arena. He was an elite level softball coach for many years, and his former players are coaches themselves now.

“Some of the comments that I get from people that I'm most moved by are comments from former athletes that I coached and they are still coaching,” he said. “And they said that I had a huge impact on their lives.”

Other Indigenous people among the latest Order of Canada appointees, include Rassi Nashhalik and Robert J. Lewis.

Nashhalik, an Inuk born in Nunavut, is a retired journalist. She was the inaugural host of CBC’s Igalaaq, the first Inuktitut-language daily television newscast.  Lewis, from Sipekne’katik First Nation in Nova Scotia, is a Mi'kmaq historian and archaeologist who has led Indigenous cultural preservation efforts in his home province.

Review the list of all the appointments announced Dec. 31 here: Order of Canada Appointees – December 31, 2025 | The Governor General of Canada