Seeking national pageant crown spotlight for North issues

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This article was published 11/08/2023 (954 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Madison Moore isn’t shy when explaining the most complicated part of preparing for next week’s 72nd annual Miss Universe Canada pageant.

“I’ve been working with Cree designer Iris Lauzon on an amazing dress for the evening gown competition,” she says. “I’m so proud of it.”

Formerly known as Miss Canada, the Miss Universe Canada pageant is the country’s oldest, and arguably most prestigious, beauty and talent competition.

For years, the pageant has struggled with inclusivity and diversity — but no longer. Moore, 21, will be one of five Indigenous women among the 77 contestants next week at the River Rock Casino in Richmond, B.C.

The range is vast and includes nearly every province and territory. Moore is one of three from Manitoba.

There are two main competitions, a preliminary (Aug. 17) and a final (Aug. 19), and can be watched online.

“There’s the swimsuit and dance portions, too, but I’m most nervous for the live interview and question-and-answer session in front of an audience,” Moore says while on a break from her job at Manitobah (formerly Manitobah Mukluks) at The Forks Market in Winnipeg. “I’m excited though.”

Moore has competed in a national beauty pageant before, as a 14-year-old at the 2016 Teenage Canada competition. If she wins the crown of Miss Universe Canada, she will travel to El Salvador to compete in the Miss Universe pageant in November — a far distance from her home of Opaskwayak Cree Nation and The Pas.

While she may be on stage alone, Moore will have an entire community behind her. The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs have endorsed her on social media, her entry fee was paid for by the OCN band and council, and her mother. Charlene. has been fundraising to support her.

This not to mention the dozens of friends, relations and other Manitobans who have lent support.

The Miss Universe Canada pageant values community support. A portion of the competition is fan balloting, where contestants can receive votes online alongside a donation. The highest vote-getter wins an automatic spot in the top 20 semi-finalists.

“It probably starts with my grandparents,” she says of where the love and support stems from.

Most people in OCN and The Pas know Moore’s grandparents, Zacc and Pat. They are amazing, community-centred people. They’re also spiritual people.

(I’ve known them most of my life, having been in ceremony with them. They helped my daughter’s mother and I in 2006, when our daughter was born at OCN — two doors down from their home. That’s where I first met Madison, when she was a little girl.)

“I’m almost six feet,” she says, with a laugh, of no longer being little. “Not many Indigenous women are.”

The former volleyball player (now coach) models in her spare time. She also recently had a small speaking role on CTV’s Acting Good — an opportunity she hopes will turn into more TV appearances.

Growing up rural and in the North, Moore expects to be dazzled by the national spotlight, but is hoping to bring light to two issues her community is facing: drug abuse and youth suicide.

“My uncle died in our community because of fentanyl,” she says. “Drug use in Manitoba’s North has gotten really bad, especially since the (COVID-19) pandemic.”

Her best friend, Taegan, died by suicide five years ago at OCN.

“She was my inspiration,” Moore says. “Indigenous youth suffer from shame and are forgotten in so many ways. Whenever I do anything I think of her.”

If Moore wins next week, she won’t be the first Indigenous women to hold a national pageant title: Magan Kateri Basque (Eskasoni First Nation, N.S.) won the Miss Canada United World event in May; Mushkegowuk Cree model Emma Morrison won Miss World Canada in 2022; and Ashley Callingbull (Enoch Cree Nation, Alta.) won numerous national titles before claiming the Mrs. Universe crown in 2015.

However, if victorious, Moore will be the first Indigenous woman to claim Canada’s most prestigious beauty and talent title — and the first Manitoban in 40 years.

Winners don’t win much prize money, but receive clothing sponsorships and become a national spokesperson for issues they care about.

Last year’s winner, Amelia Tu, used her platform to bring attention to environmental sustainability in the fashion industry.

“If I win, I want to speak about how Indigenous youth are resilient, strong, and are the future of this country,” Moore says. “That is, if that happens.”

She may have already won.

niigaan.sinclair@freepress.mb.ca