Officer of the Order of Canada
- Awarded on: October 23, 2020
- Invested on: February 26, 2021
The Honourable William Alexander Blaikie, P.C., O.C.
Winnipeg, Manitoba
William Blaikie is a lifelong champion of democracy and social justice. A United Church minister and distinguished politician for more than 30 years, he has helped transform Canadian political discourse in his various roles as parliamentary leader and House leader of the New Democratic Party, and as deputy speaker and dean of the House of Commons. A proponent of the Social Gospel, he continues to foster the dialogue between religion and public policy as an adjunct professor of theology at the University of Winnipeg.