Novelist and journalist Dany Laferrière was named an Officer of the Order of Canada.Mario Beauregard
They have left their mark on Canada's landscape – on the page, on the stage, in the public glare of politics and in the quiet corners of community service. The latest honorees for the Order of Canada are as varied as the country itself, joined together by having left Canada a little better than they found it.
Rideau Hall announced 69 new appointments to the order on Wednesday, a list that transcends easy categorization. Authors are well represented, with a list that includes Rohinton Mistry, Dany Laferrière and Joseph Boyden; from the world of entertainment comes performer Diane Dufresne, Stratford artistic director Antoni Cimolino and Louise Richer, director of Quebec's comedy school.
Other appointees have made their names in their distinct fields: Toronto-Dominion Bank chairman Brian Levitt for his work in business and support for the arts; Jennifer Anne Stoddart for her "exemplary public service" as Canada's Privacy Commissioner; and Wade Davis for his conservation efforts and work as a writer and scholar.
While some names will be familiar to Canadians, such as former PEI premier Catherine Callbeck, others are lesser known, such as Magella Gros-Louis from Wendake, Que., a champion of the cause of First Nations.
The Order of Canada has recognized more than 6,000 people from all sectors of society since it was established in 1967 by Queen Elizabeth II. The recipients have been honoured for "outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation."
Here is the full list of 69 new appointments.
Companions of the Order of Canada
- Brenda Andrews of Toronto
- Lloyd Axworthy of Winnipeg (a promotion within the Order)
- Atom Egoyan of Toronto (a promotion within the Order)
- Angela Hewitt of London, England, and Ottawa (a promotion within the Order)
- Margaret MacMillan of Oxford, England, and Toronto (a promotion within the Order)
- Arthur B. McDonald of Kingston, Ont. (a promotion within the Order)
Officers of the Order of Canada
- Marcel Boyer of Montreal
- Julie Dickson of Ottawa
- Nassif Ghoussoub of Vancouver
- Magella Gros-Louis of Wendake, Que.
- Dany Laferrière of Montreal
- Guy Latraverse of Montreal
- Brian M. Levitt of Montreal
- Richard H. McLaren of London, Ont.
- Daniel Poliquin of Ottawa (a promotion within the Order.)
- Richard Scott of Winnipeg
- Frances Alice Shepherd of Toronto
- Jennifer Anne Stoddart of Montreal
- Donald John Taylor of Calgary (a promotion within the Order)
- Mary Anne White of Halifax
Members of the Order of Canada
- George Baird of Toronto
- Bernard Bélanger of La Pocatière, Que.
- David Bissett of Calgary
- Denise Bombardier of Montreal
- Joseph Boyden of New Orleans and Ahmic Harbour, Ont.
- Laura Brandon of Ottawa
- Sophie Brochu of Bromont, Que.
- Phyllis Bruce of Toronto
- Rudy Buttignol of Vancouver
- Barbara Byers of Ottawa
- Catherine Callbeck of Central Bedeque, PEI
- Robert Campbell of Sackville, N.B.
- Susan M.W. Cartwright of Ottawa
- Antoni Cimolino of Stratford, Ont.
- Jack Lynn Cockwell of Toronto
- Patricia Cranton of Lakeville Corner, N.B.
- Joseph Z. Daigle of Dieppe, N.B.
- Wade Davis of Bowen Island, B.C.
- Rollande Desbois of Montreal
- Diane Dufresne of Montreal
- Ivan Kenneth Eyre of Winnipeg
- Meric Gertler of Toronto
- Ted Grant of Victoria
- Barbara Hall of Toronto
- Odette Heyn of Winnipeg
- Jean-Marc Lalonde of Rockland, Ont.
- Pierre H. Lessard of Montreal
- Peter S. Li of Richmond, B.C.
- Rohinton Mistry of Toronto
- John Mulvihill of Toronto
- Marie-José Nadeau of Montreal
- Audrey O’Brien of Ottawa
- Sandra Paikowsky of Montreal
- Erna Paris of Toronto
- Helen Fogwill Porter of Paradise, Nfld.
- Placide Poulin of Sainte-Marie-de-Beauce, Que.
- Louise Richer of Montreal
- Kent Roach of Toronto
- Cathy Roozen of Edmonton
- Morris Rosenberg of Ottawa
- Fiona Amaryllis Sampson of Toronto
- P. Kim Sturgess of Calgary
- Noreen Taylor of Toronto
- Faye Thomson of Winnipeg
- Peter Valentine of Calgary
- Helen Vari of Toronto
- Douglas Ward of Ottawa
- Richard Weber of Alcove, Que.
- Frederic Wien of Halifax
List compiled by The Canadian Press