Dr. Earl Cook spent much of his life advancing education for Métis people. (Facebook/Earl Cook)

By Derek Cornet

post secondary

Four chosen as inaugural recipients of the Dr. Earl Cook Memorial Scholarship

Jan 14, 2025 | 2:53 PM

The first recipients of the Dr. Earl Cook Memorial Scholarship have been announced.

Those who were selected include Marsha Morin, Alyssa Cockle, Aimee Varga and Halle Collins, who have each received $1,000. They are all post-secondary Métis students who are studying with a goal of bettering the lives of citizens in Northern Saskatchewan.

“It’s just right to do it in order to have his legacy remembered,” explained Métis Nation – Saskatchewan (MNS) Northern Region One Regional Director Laura Burnouf.

“The late Earl Cook was always an advocate for education. He worked in education all his life.”

Cook, who passed away in 2023, is remembered for his vison, leadership, and perseverance for the rights of Métis people in Northern Saskatchewan. He began work in 1971 at the Northern Lights School Division, where he worked in the Languages Department and developed many Indigenous language stories and resource materials.

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At the same time, he began lobbying for the establishment of the Gabriel Dumont Institute where he served as board chair for many years. In addition, Cook played an instrumental role in the development of Métis governance and was an elected leader for MNS.

“He served as regional director for Northern Region One for two terms and, during this time, he held two ministerial portfolios which were Minister of Finance and Minister of Education,” a statement from Burnouf reads.

“He worked hard to ensure that all Métis had a voice and that their voice was reflected through the process of self-government. This scholarship is a tribute to the work that Dr. Earl Cook has done to help post-secondary students strive for higher education.”

About 15 people applied for the scholarship and Burnouf noted those who were selected are part of education programs that Cook would have been proud of. She’s currently in the process of creating a plaque that will be updated with the names of winners on a yearly basis.

“[The number of recipients] will depend year to year depending on the budget and what is decided, but I really want this to go on yearly,” Burnouf said.

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com