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Karen McCrimmon has been an active member of the Canadian Federation of University Women, the Royal Canadian Legion, and Canadian Women in Aviation—an organization focused on encouraging more women to become involved in the aviation industry. Karen McCrimmon Photo
The Northern Lights Award Foundation (NLAF) has announced that Karen McCrimmon, a Canadian Forces pioneer, will be the keynote speaker during the eighth annual Elsie MacGill Northern Lights Awards gala on Oct. 1, 2016.
McCrimmon joined the Canadian Forces as a reservist. After graduating with a bachelor of arts from the University of Windsor, she transferred to the Regular Forces where she quickly rose through the ranks.
In 1981, she became an air navigator, the first woman to earn the qualification. In 1998, McCrimmon was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel and appointed commanding officer of 429 Transport Squadron in Trenton, Ont., becoming the first woman to command a Canadian Forces flying squadron.
After retiring from the Canadian Forces in 2006, McCrimmon started her own business offering mediation services to both public and private institutions. She has been an active member of the Canadian Federation of University Women, the Royal Canadian Legion, and Canadian Women in Aviation—an organization focused on encouraging more women to become involved in the aviation industry.
McCrimmon believes that our success as a nation has—and will continue to be—achieved through mutual respect, co-operation and dialogue. She is currently the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, and lives with her husband in Kanata-Carleton.
The awards dinner will take place from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Toscana Banquet and Conference Centre, located at 3201 Hwy 7 West, Vaughan, Ont.
For tickets, click here.
