2024 President’s Award Recipient
Jean LaRose is a First Nations citizen from Abenaki First Nation of Odanak in Quebec. In 2002, La Rose became the CEO of APTN, the first Indigenous broadcaster in the world with programming by, for and about Indigenous Peoples. During his tenure, LaRose put the network on a path to financial stability and success. The network has grown to four distinct channels and now owns and operates two radio stations.
Former colleagues describe LaRose as a strong supporter of news who believed in the importance of Indigenous stories being told by their own voices. Today, the APTN workforce totals more than 200 people.
“Jean’s commitment has benefitted the whole country,” says Lis Travers, President of RTDNA Canada. “Under his leadership, partnerships were established that continue to bring Indigenous stories and storytellers to a mainstream audience.”
LaRose is also a founding member of the World Indigenous Television Broadcasters Network. As a partner in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics broadcast consortium, it provided coverage in eight Indigenous languages.
LaRose grew up in Ottawa, where he studied journalism at Algonquin College and obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Social Communication from the University of Ottawa and St Paul’s University.
In 2019, LaRose left APTN to take the helm of Dadan Sivunivut, a holding company established by APTN to manage a number of its subsidiaries. He also is involved with the ‘Namgis First Nation in BC as Chair of their Economic Business Development Corporation, supporting the Nation in its objective to generate new opportunities for its citizens. He also sits on various Boards in a variety of capacities.
LaRose continues to support newsrooms as a member of the Canadian Journalism Collective that has been awarded the Google Fund contract to assist in the support of news reporting across various news organizations of all sizes across the country.
He has been honoured with many awards, including the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal.