Honour bestowed annually in celebration of International Women’s Day
Toronto, ON (March 4, 2021) — Canadian performers are shining a spotlight on ACTRA member Andrea Menard by naming her this year’s ACTRA National Woman of the Year.
“Andrea Menard is a distinguished performer, singer and writer,” said ACTRA National President David Sparrow. “Andrea is deeply committed to the growth and development of Indigenous representation in Canada’s arts industries. She is an inspiration and a role model for all of us. We are proud to be honouring her in celebration of International Women’s Day.”
“ACTRA women are a tremendous force of change,” said Andrea Menard. “With the development of important initiatives like HAVEN Helpline, and Diversity & Inclusion Committees, ACTRA women work hard to address inequalities in our industry and to improve work opportunities for their sisters. I’m especially proud of my Indigenous ACTRA women colleagues who continue to push boundaries and to advance Indigenous representation on our screens. I am deeply grateful to receive this honour from my artistic community of peers.”
Andrea Menard is a member of the Métis Nation of Canada and currently lives in Vancouver. Her Métis family originates from St. Laurent, Manitoba, which is in Treaty 1 territory and the Homeland of the Métis. Andrea’s stirring performance in her self-penned, The Velvet Devil, earned her three Saskatchewan Showcase Awards, a Gemini nomination and an American Indian Film Festival Best Actress Award. In 2010, she won an American Indian Film Festival Best Actress Award for her performance in A Windigo Tale. Andrea has received three Best Performance Gemini Award nominations for her work in Moccasin Flats (2006), Rabbit Fall (2009) and Sparkle (2011) as well as the 2008 Best Ensemble Performance in an Animated Series Award for her work in Wapos Bay. In 2014, Andrea received a Best Supporting Performance Leo Award nomination for her role in Blackstone. Andrea’s other television credits include: The Switch, Hard Rock Medical, Arctic Air and Supernatural. An accomplished singer-songwriter, Andrea’s music has been used in a number of television shows, including Canadian Idol and her tongue-in-cheek ode to gender politics, “If I Were a Man,” was featured in the series Queer as Folk.
Andrea’s tireless community and charity work involves speaking and performing on behalf of numerous organizations, including: Indigenous Women Entrepreneurs LIFT Circle; National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls; Native Women’s Association of Canada; Women’s Executive Network; Indian Residential School Survivors Society; Gabriel Dumont Institute; SheEO; Professional Aboriginal Women’s Network; Indspire Awards; Huron Carole, Indigenous Women in Community Leadership programme at the Coady Institute; Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and many more.
Since 2010, ACTRA bestows the National Woman of the Year Award each year upon an ACTRA member who uses her passion to support ACTRA members and women within the broader audiovisual industry. For a list of past recipients, please visit www.actra.ca.
ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists) is the national union of professional performers working in English-language recorded media in Canada. ACTRA represents the interests of over 27,000 members across the country – the foundation of Canada’s highly acclaimed professional performing community.
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Media Contact: Carol Taverner, Public Relations Officer, ACTRA National, tel: 416-644-1519, email: ctaverner@actra.ca
*Photo available upon request