Rivard, who was Canada's top medal producer at Rio 2016 with three golds and one silver, received the award for best female athlete at the Infinity Centre in Ottawa.  

As well as being chosen as Canada's flagbearer for the Closing Ceremony, she was also named Swimming Canada and Swimming Word Magazine Female Para-swimmer of the Year and was one of the finalists for the Lou Marsh Award for Canada's athlete of the year.

"I still feel like yesterday I was this 13-year-old girl making her first national team and never would have thought that I would be a three-time gold medallist and winning the athlete of the year award," Rivard said.

"I have my eyes on Tokyo [2020] for sure, so hopefully I can make you guys proud again in the next four years."

Chernove, meanwhile, received the award for best Games debut having played a pivotal role in the Canadian Para-cycling team securing a record-breaking nine-medal haul in Rio.

He took gold in the time trial road race, silver in the individual pursuit and bronze in the 1,000 metres time trial.

"I've been so fortunate to have the second coming of an athletic career through Para-sport," Chernove said.

"In 2009, when my body started to really change, I switched from able-bodied padding to Para-sport and throughout my whole career I've never been as in love with sport as I am now.

"I just feel really lucky.

"I won't say that my life hasn't had some difficulties, but there's always been this huge amalgam of reasons for gratitude so there's no room for pain or suffering.

"I seem to live on a cloud of gratitude these days."

Among the other winners at the ceremony was Canada’s national Para-cycling team head coach Sébastien Travers, who received the Tim Frick Paralympic coach excellence award in recognition of his role in making the sport the most successful for Canada at the Rio Games.

The development coach of the year award went to Maxime Gagnon, who is credited with significantly growing the popularity of Para-ice hockey in the city of Montreal and province of Québec.

Gagnon is the Québec provincial team head coach and director general of Hockey Sur Luge Montreal.

There were also five individuals inducted into the Canadian Paralympic Hall of Fame, headlined by Minister of Sport and Persons with a Disability, Carla Qualtrough.

Qualtrough, a triple Paralympic bronze medallist in swimming, was a key player in Vancouver's bid to host the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games as President of the Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC).

As a lawyer, she was an advocate for workers' compensation and human rights before moving into the political circuit.

"I wouldn't be where I am today or who I am today if it wasn't for Paralympic sport," Qualtrough said.

"I've learned so much about the world, about myself and about human potential.

"I could never give back to the world what the Paralympic Movement has given me.

"The Paralympic Movement has transformative power that the world is only beginning to see and all I can say is I look forward to the next 30 years."

Qualtrough was inducted in the builder category along with Archie Allison and Maureen Orchard, secretary general of the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF).

Allison is considered a legendary figure at Toronto's Variety Village, a centre that helps people with a disability to develop a healthy lifestyle through sports, fitness and physical activity.

Orchard is credited with revolutionising the sport of wheelchair basketball at home and abroad, bringing more than 30 years of experience and dedication to the sport.

Named in the coach category was Ozzie Sawicki and in the athlete category Karolina Wisniewska.

Sawicki was head coach of the Canadian Para-Alpine ski team which won 12 of the total 15 medals earned by the country at the 2002 Winter Paralympics in Salt Lake City.

He was also Canada’s Chef de Mission at Sochi 2014, where the nation ranked third in the medal table with seven golds, two silvers and seven bronzes.

Wisniewska, who was born in Warsaw in Poland, is a three-time Paralympian and winner of eight Paralympic medals in Para-alpine skiing.

She won two silvers at Nagano 1998 before claiming two silvers and two bronzes at Salt Lake City 2002 and two bronzes at Vancouver 2010.

Awards for the best male athlete and best team performance were not handed out this year.

"As per our criteria, our Sport Awards must align with those we nominate to the IPC (International Paralympic Committee) for their Sport Awards," a CPC spokesperson told insidethegames.