About the Award
The Empire Club of Canada is proud to announce the 2020 Nation Builder of the Year Award was awarded to Canada’s front line workers, the men and women who kept us safe and functioning during the most severe pandemic to hit the world in over a century.
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A virtual on-line awards ceremony was held to mark this year’s winner, with testimonies of tenacity and bravery from across the country and performances from some well-loved Canadian performers.
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The Nation Builder of the Year award formalizes what The Empire Club of Canada has been doing since 1903 - celebrating and providing a platform for people who are building our country.
Since its founding over a century ago, The Empire Club has played a pivotal role in many of our country’s major milestones. That’s why the focus of this award is on efforts by a Canadian individual or a group of individuals who are making a significant contribution to our country.
This individual or a group of individuals can be from any walk of life - a political official, a business leader, an artist, or a cultural figure - who has made a major contribution to our national identity during their nomination year.
In 2019, our Inaugural Nation Builder of the Year Award was presented to the Toronto Raptors on December 13th to recognize the impact winning the NBA Championship had on Canadians and how it united the country.
The award was accepted on the team's behalf by Masai Ujiri, President of the Toronto Raptors & Alternate NBA Governor.
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The event also featured words from Toronto Raptors Superfan, Nav Bhatia, 65th Mayor of Toronto, John Tory and The Sports Network (TSN) Anchor, Kayla Grey.
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