The Empire Club of Canada
Since 2019, the Nation Builder Award has formalized 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 group of individuals) who are making a significant contribution to our country.
Our past Nation Builder recipients include Prem Watsa (2024); Wes Hall (2023); Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser (2022); Perry Bellegarde (2021); Canada’s Frontline Health Workers (2020) and Masai Ujiri and the Toronto Raptors (2019).
Every year, the Empire Club of Canada honours those who help define what it means to be Canadian—those who unite us, inspire us, and leave a lasting mark on our national story.
This year’s Nation Builder honouree has done just that.
Not with speeches or policies, but through shared moments that brought Canadians together—across languages, generations, and regions.
The Empire Club of Canada’s 2025 Nation Builder of the Year has shown us what collective pride looks like.
And become a symbol of how culture, community, and perseverance can shape a nation’s identity.
Our winner will be revealed soon.
Stay tuned.
2023 Nation Builder Award Ceremony Video
2024 recipient: Prem Watsa, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Fairfax Financial Holdings
2023 recipient: Wes Hall ICD.D. Dragon, Dragons Den, Founder, BlackNorth Initiative
2022 recipient: Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser, Resident Physician, Assistant General Manager, Toronto Maple Leafs, Canadian former ice hockey player
2021 recipient: Chief Perry Bellegarde, First Nations Leader and Human Rights Advocate
2020 recipient: Frontline Workers
2019 recipients: the Toronto Raptors
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