Governor General honoured remarkable Canadians at Rideau Hall

September 17, 2021

Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary May Simon, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada, presented honours to 14 exceptional Canadians during a small, socially distanced ceremony Rideau Hall. 

Recipients were recognized for their excellence or exceptional dedication to service with one of the following honours: 

To celebrate their accomplishments. the small, socially distanced gathering included family and friends of the recipients.

The Canadian Honours System recognizes extraordinary people and their remarkable contributions to Canada. Recipients share a desire to achieve excellence through contributions to their communities and to Canada. Their contributions could be through heroic acts, remarkable deeds or exceptional volunteerism.

Shine a spotlight on the extraordinary people you know by nominating them for a Canadian honour through our online nomination tool today!

Governor General Mary May Simon stands at a glass podium addressing the audience in the Tent Room at Rideau Hall. There is a large Canadian flag behind her.

Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary May Simon, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada, presented honours to 14 exceptional Canadians during a small, socially distanced ceremony Rideau Hall.

  • Credit: MCpl Anis Assari, Rideau Hall
  • Reference Number: GG08-2021-0072-059
Governor General Mary May Simon stands at a glass podium addressing the audience in the Tent Room at Rideau Hall. There is a large Canadian flag behind her.

The Canadian Honours System recognizes extraordinary people and their remarkable contributions to Canada. Recipients share a desire to achieve excellence through contributions to their communities and to Canada. Their contributions could be through heroic acts, remarkable deeds or exceptional volunteerism.

  • Credit: MCpl Anis Assari, Rideau Hall
  • Reference Number: GG08-2021-0072-118
Governor General Mary May Simon stands at a glass podium addressing the audience in the Tent Room at Rideau Hall. There is a large Canadian flag behind her.

Recipients were recognized for their excellence or exceptional dedication to service with one of the following honours: Meritorious Service Cross (Civil Division), Meritorious Service Medal (Civil Division), Medal of Bravery or Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers.

  • Credit: MCpl Anis Assari, Rideau Hall
  • Reference Number: GG08-2021-0072-119
A woman, serving as emcee of the event, stands at a podium, announcing the names of honours recipients.

The ceremony was attended by a small, socially distanced gathering of family and friends who joined us in celebrating the recipients and their accomplishments.

  • Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
  • Reference Number: GG09-2021-0072-001
Governor General Mary May Simon and His Excellency Whit Fraser stand together during part of the ceremony.Governor General Mary May Simon and His Excellency Whit Fraser standing during part of the ceremony.

Encouraging excellence is at the core of every governor general's mandate.

  • Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
  • Reference Number: GG09-2021-0072-003
Governor General Mary May Simon claps. His Excellency Whit Fraser stands with hands folded in front of him. A Canadian flag and the emcee of the event are in the background.

Anyone can nominate a person for a Canadian honour. Each nomination is researched before being reviewed by an independent advisory committee or council, which then makes recommendations to the governor general.

  • Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
  • Reference Number: GG09-2021-0072-004
Governor General Mary May Simon stands at the podium addressing the audience.

One of the important roles of the Governor General is to encourage excellence in Canada. The Governor General presents honours and awards that acknowledge and celebrate extraordinary Canadians and their accomplishments.

  • Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
  • Reference Number: GG09-2021-0072-005
Governor General Mary May Simon stands at the podium addressing the audience.

Nominations for Canadian honours are accepted on an ongoing basis throughout the year.

  • Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
  • Reference Number: GG09-2021-0072-006
A man pins an award to a woman’s jacket, with Governor General Mary May Simon looking on. A Canadian flag is in the background.

Through the social economy organization Petites-Mains, Nahid Aboumansour has helped improve the lives of immigrant and unemployed women in the Montréal area by bringing them out of isolation, facilitating their integration into Canadian society and promoting their entry into the labour market.

  • Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
  • Reference Number: GG09-2021-0072-012
A woman who has just been given a medal stands next to Governor General Mary May Simon. Both are wearing masks.

For thousands of women, taking part in one of the socio-professional integration programs has helped them regain their confidence and dignity while contributing to the city’s social and economic development.

  • Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
  • Reference Number: GG09-2021-0072-013
A woman in a brightly coloured dress hands a small blue box containing a medal to a woman in a black dress.

Diagnosed with epidermolysis bullosa (EB) as a newborn, Jonathan Pitre became known as the Butterfly Child and the public face of this rare, debilitating skin disorder when he bravely allowed his daily wound-care regimen to be recorded by local media.

  • Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
  • Reference Number: GG09-2021-0072-014
A woman who has just been given a medal stands next to Governor General Mary May Simon. Both are wearing masks.

Committed to fighting the disease, he and his mother, Tina Boileau, helped raise awareness and significant funds for research, which has since led to greater support for other families affected by EB. Even though the disease eventually took Jonathan’s life, his story continues to serve as a source of inspiration to all. The decoration awarded to the late Mr. Pitre will be received by his mother, Tina Boileau.

  • Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
  • Reference Number: GG09-2021-0072-015
A woman in a brightly coloured dress pins a medal onto the black dress of another woman.

Tina Boileau helped raise awareness and significant funds for research for epidermolysis bullosa (EB), which has since led to greater support for other families affected by EB. 

  • Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
  • Reference Number: GG09-2021-0072-016
A woman who has just been given a medal stands next to Governor General Mary May Simon. Both are wearing masks.

Even though the disease eventually took Tina's son Jonathan’s life, his story continues to serve as a source of inspiration to all.

  • Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
  • Reference Number: GG09-2021-0072-017
A woman in a brightly coloured outfit pins a medal onto the shirt of a man wearing a large brown top hat.

Operatic tenor and ethnomusicologist Jeremy Dutcher created the evocative album Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa with his people, the Wolastoqiyik First Nation—the People of the Beautiful River—at its centre.

  • Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
  • Reference Number: GG09-2021-0072-018
A man who has just been given a medal stands next to Governor General Mary May Simon. Both are wearing masks.

Guided by his nation’s song-carriers, he brought forgotten, century-old wax cylinder recordings of his ancestors to life through music, honouring the Wolastoq language. Challenging western musical structures, his artistry introduces the beauty of the language to a broader audience and raises awareness of its severely endangered status.

  • Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
  • Reference Number: GG09-2021-0072-019
A woman pins a medal onto another woman’s dress jacket.

Véronique Leduc is a model of determination and success for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. The first deaf university professor in Quebec, she works actively to break down the barriers of social exclusion and improve university and cultural accessibility for people with a hearing impairment.

  • Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
  • Reference Number: GG09-2021-0072-020
A woman who has just been given a medal stands next to Governor General Mary May Simon. Both are wearing masks.

Through her efforts to boost self-confidence and encourage them to believe that they can achieve their dreams, she is an inspiration to an entire generation of young people seeking to reach their full potential.

  • Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
  • Reference Number: GG09-2021-0072-021
A man pins a medal onto the black and blue dress of a woman.

A champion of human rights, Sylvie Rémillard is a model of community engagement. Founder of Sourire sans Fin, she was the driving force behind the development of this centre for family solidarity in Montérégie, which has since set the standard for mutual assistance and efforts to reduce poverty.

  • Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
  • Reference Number: GG09-2021-0072-022
A woman who has just been given a medal stands next to Governor General Mary May Simon. Both are wearing masks.

Her dedication has given vulnerable people a place where they can flourish and be valued.

  • Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
  • Reference Number: GG09-2021-0072-023
A woman pins a medal onto another woman’s dress jacket.

On March 30, 2018, Myriam Côté saved a man from drowning in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. When she spotted the man in distress screaming for help, she jumped into the water and swam 30 to 40 metres toward him.

  • Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
  • Reference Number: GG09-2021-0072-024
A woman who has just been given a medal stands next to Governor General Mary May Simon. Both are wearing masks.

Once in deep, rough seas, she asked the man to turn around, but he didn’t respond as he was struggling to keep his head above water. She then dove underwater to keep him afloat, before pulling him toward a rock, where she was able to sit and hoist him onto her lap. With another woman’s help, she then swam the man safely back to the beach.

  • Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
  • Reference Number: GG09-2021-0072-025
A woman pins a medal onto a man’s shirt.

On September 19, 2018, Régis Grégoire rescued two people from their burning vehicle in Gatineau Park, Quebec. Mr. Grégoire was driving through the park when he spotted rapidly spreading flames coming from a ditch. He pulled over and saw a crashed car with two passengers trapped inside.

  • Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
  • Reference Number: GG09-2021-0072-026
A man who has just been given a medal stands next to Governor General Mary May Simon. Both are wearing masks.

He entered the burning vehicle through the sunroof, unbuckled the passenger’s seat belt and pulled the man to safety. With the driver’s side door jammed shut, Mr. Grégoire attempted to remove the other victim through the shattered window, but the man’s broken legs were trapped under the crushed dashboard. Mr. Grégoire and the passenger worked together to dislodge the driver’s legs and free him from the vehicle just as it became engulfed in flames.

  • Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
  • Reference Number: GG09-2021-0072-027
A young man pins a medal onto a man’s jacket.

On March 15, 2016, Daniel McKinney saved the life of a teenage victim of armed sexual assault near Brewery Creek in Gatineau, Quebec. While heading home, Mr. McKinney was alerted to the presence of a man lying on top of a young woman who was bleeding and calling for help in a wooded area.

  • Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
  • Reference Number: GG09-2021-0072-028
A man who has just been given a medal stands next to Governor General Mary May Simon. Both are wearing masks.

Mr. McKinney rushed towards the attacker, who was holding a knife, and pinned him to the ground by holding his wrists to allow the victim to escape. Worried that he would lose control of the situation, he got up and walked a few steps, still holding the man and calling for help. The attacker tried to escape after hitting Mr. McKinney in the face, but Mr. McKinney managed to control the man until police arrived.

  • Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
  • Reference Number: GG09-2021-0072-029
A woman pins a medal onto a man’s suit jacket.

On December 25, 2017, John Schuiteboer saved the life of a young woman who was critically injured in a car accident in Luskville, Quebec. In the early hours of Christmas Day, a car collided with a hydroelectric pole, severely electrocuting the driver. Several hours later, Mr. Schuiteboer spotted the wreckage on his drive home.

  • Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
  • Reference Number: GG09-2021-0072-030
A man who has just been given a medal stands next to Governor General Mary May Simon. Both are wearing masks.

Ignoring the presence of live wires on the snowy ground, Mr. Schuiteboer immediately ran to assist the victim, who was now immobilized and suffering from hypothermia. He returned to his truck to call emergency services and then, despite the heightened risk of a fatal shock, he went to and from his vehicle, retrieving water for the victim until help arrived.

  • Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
  • Reference Number: GG09-2021-0072-031
A man pins a medal onto another man’s suit jacket.

Through L’Amicale des personnes handicapées physiques de l’Outaouais, Louis St-Cyr has provided the organization with the knowledge and resources necessary to accomplish extraordinary projects within the community.

  • Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
  • Reference Number: GG09-2021-0072-032
A man who has just been given a medal stands next to Governor General Mary May Simon. Both are wearing masks.

He also participated in several humanitarian trips with the Centre amitié de solidarité internationale de la région des Appalaches (CASIRA) and currently promotes cultural exchanges between Cantley and its twinned town of Ornans, France.

  • Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
  • Reference Number: GG09-2021-0072-033
A man pins a medal onto a woman’s brightly coloured dress.

Colleen Gray is the founder and driving force behind the Art for Aid project, an organization that fosters creativity among young artists and ships donated art supplies to Indigenous schools and communities throughout Canada.

  • Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
  • Reference Number: GG09-2021-0072-034
A woman who has just been given a medal stands next to Governor General Mary May Simon. Both are wearing masks.

In addition to coordinating donations, she also contributes proceeds from the sale of her own art to cover shipping costs.

  • Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
  • Reference Number: GG09-2021-0072-035
A young woman pins a medal onto a woman’s fuchsia-coloured shirt.

Former Ottawa mayor Jacquelin Holzman has been dedicated to her community since the 1960s, volunteering with such organizations as the Royal Ottawa Hospital, the Rehabilitation Institute of Ottawa and the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute.

  • Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
  • Reference Number: GG09-2021-0072-036
A woman who has just been given a medal stands next to Governor General Mary May Simon. Both are wearing masks.

Most recently, she co-founded Compassionate Ottawa in 2016, to empower families and individuals to discuss death, dying and grief as a normal part of life, and to help people live as long and as well as they can on their own terms.

  • Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
  • Reference Number: GG09-2021-0072-037
A woman pins a medal onto a man’s suit jacket.

For more than 40 years, Zulfikar Nanji has been helping disadvantaged people in his community with their tax returns, while educating them on personal finance topics.

  • Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
  • Reference Number: GG09-2021-0072-038
A man who has just been given a medal stands next to Governor General Mary May Simon. Both are wearing masks.

He has also been a volunteer driver with the Aga Khan Foundation, transporting people with reduced mobility throughout the city.

  • Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
  • Reference Number: GG09-2021-0072-039
A procession of people, including the Governor General, makes its way into a room.

Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary May Simon, Governor General of Canada, presented honours to 14 exceptional Canadians. The ceremony was attended by a small, socially distanced gathering of family and friends who joined us in celebrating the recipients and their accomplishments.

  • Credit: MCpl Anis Assari, Rideau Hall
  • Reference Number: GG08-2021-0072-058

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