🏆 2026 Public Service Pride Awards: Celebrating Excellence in Inclusion 🏆
2026 Public Service Pride Awards Nominees
Each year, the Public Service Pride Awards celebrate individuals and teams across the Government of Canada who demonstrate outstanding leadership in creating safer, more inclusive workplaces for 2SLGBTQIA+ employees. Scroll through the categories below to learn more about this year’s inspiring nominees.
Want to learn more? Read the nominee summaries on our GCXchange page.
Agent of Change Award Nominees
Scott Lester
Veterans Affairs Canada
Emma Quinn
Department of National Defence
Maryse Allain
Department of National Defence
Brandon Bell
Canada Border Services Agency
Dr. Holly North Ellingwood
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
Brigitte Marcil
Canadian Intellectual Property Office /
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
Kristy Henry
Veterans Affairs Canada
Terry Grace
Service Canada
Callum C. Tate
Employment and Social Development Canada
Melissa Hunt
Health Canada
Tyler Levesque
Canada Revenue Agency
Sue Smith
Canada Border Services Agency
Angela Beard
Canada Border Services Agency
Marie-Rose Brochu-Gosselin
Parks Canada
Adora Hintermann
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
Bilal Sakr
Shared Services Canada
Joël-Jean Beauchemin
Natural Resources Canada
Carla Dumaresq
Employment and Social Development Canada
Elysse Hurtado
Employment and Social Development Canada
Janelle Brennand Armstrong
Employment and Social Development Canada
Luc Gosselin
Service Canada
Pride Network of the Year Award Nominees
Positive Space Initiative Network
Veterans Affairs Canada
The Toronto Collective Pride Committee
Employment and Social Development Canada
ESDC Employee Pride Network
Employment and Social Development Canada
AGORA: RMC's 2SLGBTQIA+ Support and Social Group
Department of National Defence / Royal Military College
Public Safety Pride Network (Pride@PS)
Public Safety Canada
Workplace Pride Initiative Nominees
Sàgìhidiwin is love
Co-Leads: Lucy Ellis and Jasmine Ahmed
Privy Council Office
Wear Your Pride
Co-Leads: Jonah Mitchell and Rochelle Bondy
Employment and Social Development Canada
Authenticity Matters: Experiences of Gender Diverse CAF Members
Lead: Marie Skippen
Department of National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces
GTAR flag raising and creation of the Regional 2SLGBTQI+ committee
Co-Leads: Angela Beard and Sue Smith
Canada Border Services Agency
Two-Spirit Event
Co-Leads: S1 Chelsey Stickney and LCol Catherine Askew
Department of National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces
Annual Pride Flag Raising
Co-Leads: Guillaume Quessy and Julie Ann Smith
Public Services and Procurement Canada
Trans-Canada Trivia Game
Lead: Adora Hintermann
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
Positive Space Awareness Session
Co-Leads: Dominic Cliche and Vivian Vavassis
Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada
Rainbow Registered Certification
Co-Leads: Brigitte Gray and Cindy Allen
Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
Career Impact Nominees
Michelle Backhouse
Canadian Armed Forces Reserve
Krista Casselman
Canada Border Services Agency
Travey Reynolds
Health Canada
Emma Quinn
31 CF H Svcs C/Department of National Defence
Jérémie Landry
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Department/Agency Award for Excellence in Pride Leadership Nominees
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Correctional Service of Canada
Public Service Pride Awards Categories
Agent of Change Award
Recognizing advocates and leaders who are actively working to eliminate systemic barriers and advance the inclusion of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities in the federal public service.
Pride Network of the Year Award
Acknowledging a department or agency pride network that has demonstrated outstanding commitment and contributions to advancing 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion across their department or agency.
Workplace Pride Initiative of the Year Award
Celebrating an individual or team’s innovative workplace policy, plan, event or activity that has proven beneficial for promoting 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion in the workplace.
Career Impact Award
Honoring individuals who have made a lasting and substantial impact throughout their career by actively supporting 2SLGBTQIA+ communities within the federal public service.
Department / Agency Award for Excellence in Pride Leadership
Recognizing, in response to the Open Letter, a department or agency that has exhibited exceptional leadership by actively implementing and demonstrating results through sustained organization-wide actions or initiatives, such as those outlined in the letter, in support of 2SLGBTQIA+ employees.
Previous Editions of the Public Service Pride Awards
2022 Awards ceremony
2025 Winners
Agent of Change Award Winners
AJ Dolman
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
Sergeant Ruthern-Percival Flamel
Department of National Defence
Max Turner
Department of Fisheries and Oceans / Canadian Coast Guard
Emilie Plows
Department of Fisheries and Oceans / Canadian Coast Guard
Maddie Morris
Global Affairs Canada
Kelly Wolfslehner
Canada Border Services Agency
Jesse Fleming
Canada Border Services Agency
Jason Evanochko
Department of National Defence
Megan (MG) Le Stum
Statistics Canada
Pride Network of the Year Award Winner
Pride@IRCC
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
Workplace Pride Initiative Winner
Service PSPC Portal - New Forms for Pay, Benefits, and Pension
Public Service and Procurement Canada
Career Impact Winners
Bart Bilmer
Natural Resources Canada
Holly Jacobs
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
Department/Agency Award for Excellence in Pride Leadership Winner
Women and Gender Equality Canada
2024 Winners
Agent of Change Award
Andrea Monrad
Environment and Climate Change Canada
Jeansil Bruyère
Immigration Refugee Board of Canada
Kevin Phillips
Canada Border Services Agency
Tanya Harvey
Transport Canada
Workplace Pride Initiative of the Year Award
Pronoun Guide
Public Services Procurement Canada
Pride Network Award
Toronto Employment Insurance Contact Centre Pride Committee
Employment and Social Development Canada
Department / Agency Award for Excellence in Pride Leadership
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
2023 Winners
Agent of Change Award
Megan Otu
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Kaye Low
Veterans Affairs Canada
Major André P. Jean
Canadian Armed Forces / National Defence
Amér Mubaslat
Global Affairs Canada
Andrew Caldwell
Employment and Social Development Canada
Workplace Pride Initiative of the Year Award
Elliott L. Welch Memorial Award
Employment and Social Development Canada
Pride Network Award
3rd CDSB Edmonton Defence Team Pride Advisory Organization
National Defence
Career Impact Award
Andrea Markowski
Correctional Service of Canada
Department / Agency Award for Excellence in Pride Leadership
Justice Canada
2022 Winners
Agent of Change Award
David Beamer, Canada Revenue Agency
Dr. Holly Ellingwood, Public Safety Canada
Lee Nevens, Justice Canada
Lydia Lipic, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Jefferson Morris IV, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
Pride Network Award
Defense Team Pride Advisory Organization, Department of National Defense and Canadian Armed Forces
Workplace Pride Initiative of the Year Award
Directive on Inclusive Sanitary Facility Design, Parks Canada
Career Impact Award
Missy Marston-Shmelzer, Canadian Heritage
Pioneer Award
Michelle Douglas, LGBT Purge Fund
2021 Winners
Agent of Change Award
David Da Silva, Global Affairs Canada
Johanne Charest, Canada Border Services Agency
Teresa Joudrie, Indigenous Services Canada
Taryn Husband, Global Affairs Canada
Tamara Lopez, Canada Border Services Agency
Richard Hansen, Canada Revenue Agency
Pride Network Award
Gender and Sexual Diversity Inclusiveness Network, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Workplace Pride Initiative of the Year Award
Universally Accessible Washrooms in Terrasses de la Chaudière Complex
Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, Indigenous Services Canada, Canadian Heritage
Career Impact Award
Artur Wilczynski, Communications Security Establishment
Guy Desaulniers, Public Service Commission
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