I THINK HER COURAGE AND COMPASSION STARTED IT ALL.

and gender inclusion onscreen and off.

“I think a show like Kim’s Convenience is proof that representation matters,” said Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, who won an acting trophy for Kim’s Convenience, which also won best comedy series.

“When you give people a voice, other people start listening, and when people start listening, things start to change — and we need change, we need to affect change.”

The phrase “representation matters” was also repeated by Eritrea-born actor Nabil Rajo, who won an award for the Montreal carjacking drama film Boost, and Elise Bauman, star of the web series Carmilla, who got the Cogeco Fund Audience Choice Award.

Other big film winners at Sunday’s show included the was Hochelaga, Land of Souls, which was Canada’s pick for the best foreignlanguage film category at this year’s Oscars but ultimately didn’t make the short list. Written and directed by Quebec’s François Girard, the French-language drama looks at Montreal’s history through an archeological dig after a sinkhole opens up under a stadium in Montreal.

The star-packed Sundance Film Festival hit Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World by Catherine Bainbridge, about Indigenous musicians who have shaped popular music, got three nods including best feature length documentary.

Best limited series or program went to CBC-TV’s adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s novel Alias Grace. Sarah Gadon was also honoured for her starring turn as an Irish maid who was convicted of murder in Upper Canada in 1843 and exonerated decades later.

Cardinal star Billy Campbell won best lead actor, while Baroness von Sketch Show was honoured for its ensemble performance.

Other acting honours went to Catherine O’Hara of CBC’s riches-to-rags comedy Schitt’s Creek, Alexander Ludwig of the History series Vikings, Tatiana Maslany of the Space sci-fi series Orphan Black, and Bahar Nouhian of the Tehran teen drama film Ava.

Efforts to eradicate sexual misconduct in the entertainment industry were a topic on the red carpet as attendees wore pins for the #AfterMeToo group, which recently partnered with the Canadian Women’s Foundation to establish a fund for sexual violence support services.

Atwood, who got the Academy Board of Directors’ Tribute at the show, said she’s supporting the #AfterMeToo fund by donating herself and giving the proceeds from two events she’s doing in April.

Atwood and former CBC News anchor Peter Mansbridge were among nine recipients of a special award at the show.

Mansbridge, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award, used his speech to tout the importance of telling the truth and being transparent in an era of fake news.

“I strongly believe that truth is under attack and it’s not under attack by just one person in one country, it spreads across borders,” Mansbridge said later backstage.

“We’re at a very important point here in this issue and I think we have to stand up for ourselves and stand up for each other, because there’s a lot at stake on this.”