Miss Earth Canada 2025 is Hailey Hamelin-Wilson!

by Deena Goodrunning, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter,

(ANNews) – Hailey Hamelin-Wilson from Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation is the first ever Indigenous Canadian woman to hold the title of Miss Earth Canada!

Last summer in 2024, Hailey traveled to Toronto to compete in the Pageant Group Canada pageant that determines the Canadian representatives for international pageants such as Miss World, Miss Supranational, Miss Earth, Miss Grand International and Miss Intercontinental. Many contestants from all over Canada came to compete for a pageant title, and Hailey was successful in winning a coveted crown and a prestigious title.

Initially, Hailey was interested in competing for the title of Miss World Canada, but in an interview last month with ANNews, she shared that after arriving at the pageant she found that she was more drawn to running for Miss Earth Canada  – and she ended up winning the title.

Miss Earth is one of the Big Four international beauty pageants alongside Miss Universe, Miss World and Miss International. Miss Earth, in comparison to these other pageants, advocates for environmental awareness and conservation. It has partnered with organizations such as the United Nations and Plan International.

Countries from all over the world will be sending a contestant to represent them at the Miss Earth 2025 pageant that will be happening in the Philippines. The pageant dates are yet to be announced, but Hailey told ANNews the pageant would most likely happen in November 2025.

Hailey is currently a student at the University of Alberta with a planned graduation date of April 2026. “So I have to manage my classes while I’m going to the Philippines, because I’ll be in the Philippines for just over a month. Maybe a month and a half.”

“When I won Miss Earth Canada, I was really excited because I knew it was an opportunity to represent Indigenous people, because Indigenous people have a unique perspective and relationship with the land,” Hailey said.

Some activities Hailey has been doing as Miss Earth Canada 2025 are tree planting and removing wire fences. She also has been trying to promote traditional Indigenous teachings and speaking up about overconsumption.

“One of the main things I want to do is really promote the message of traditional teachings in the best way I can. Of course, I can’t say everything because it’s tradition. But, the things I can say [I want to promote], like taking only what we need and not overconsuming the resources. I really want to spread those messages.”

“People tend to overconsume and they’re just focused on buying the next best thing. But, for me with my perspective — especially being really involved in a traditional way of life — it doesn’t always have to be the newest or best thing,” Hailey said. She recommended that instead of overconsuming new products, people could thrift or utilize items they already have.

Additionally, through her role, Hailey wants to spread awareness about language revitalization. “I really want to spread awareness for language revitalization. Because I know a lot of traditional knowledge, and traditional knowledge and ways of living with the land are embedded in language,” Hailey said. “And it’s not only in Canada, but around the world there’s a lot of Indigenous languages that are endangered right now.”

She also wants to speak up about forest fire prevention. “A lot of [forest fires] are man-made or caused by man. And we only have one earth. We’re the only planet in the solar system that has life. But, if we keep disrespecting the earth, then where are we going to go? So, we have to really put into perspective the amount of damage humans can do. And as Indigenous people, we already know these issues and we’ve been talking about it for a long time.”

When asked about advice she would give to Indigenous people interested in environmental activism, Hailey said, “I would say the things we feel is common knowledge is not common knowledge for everybody.” Hailey explained that she grew up on the reserve, and spent a lot of time on and around the land. She learned to have respect for animals and trees. “And now that I live in the city, I’ve realized that many people don’t understand these basic principles and it’s crazy to me. So I would say the first step is definitely encouraging people to understand values of empathy. Because even having empathy for the land and animals, that’s a big step.”

When asked for any advice she would have for people who are interested in pageants, Hailey said, “I would tell them to just try it out even if you don’t feel confident or you don’t feel like you can do it. Because, honestly every time I’ve gone to a pageant I’ve learned something about myself. And at the end of the day having self-growth or having a new experience to tell your friends and family about is so worth it, even if you don’t end up winning. The experiences are once in a lifetime.”

After being asked how she thinks being Miss Earth Canada can help the Indigenous community in Canada overall, Hailey responded by saying, “So, honestly the first step is visibility because people around the world still think Indigenous people are living in teepees. They don’t really think we’re still around, because they read about us in the history books or the text books. So with me going to [Miss Earth Canada], it’s starting to bring awareness and more visibility. And then since it’s earth-focused, that’s where I can really incorporate culture. And that’s what I want to do. My whole journey is to advocate and bring awareness to Indigenous culture. And I want to show everybody how beautiful Indigenous culture is.”

More information about Hailey Hamelin-Wilson can be found at her official Instagram account @haileyykat.