Officer of the Order of Canada

• Awarded on: May 2, 2013
• Invested on: September 12, 2014

For his contributions as a political scientist, educator and author, notably on constitutional governance and prairie populism.


David Smith has contributed to the public understanding of our political system. Professor emeritus at the University of Saskatchewan, a senior policy fellow at the University of Regina, and a distinguished visiting professor at Ryerson University, he is one of Canada’s leading authorities on constitutional governance and has written prolifically on Canada’s parliamentary system. With a deeply rooted sense of place, his early work on Saskatchewan’s governance and prairie populism are considered classics in the field.