Member of the Order of Canada

• Awarded on: April 30, 1992
• Invested on: October 21, 1992

Poet-in-Residence for many years at Bishop's University, he is one of Canada's great poets and is much admired in the literary community. A man of letters, he is an eloquent spokesperson for the conscience of our times, a prolific poet whose works touch both the mind and the heart. He is a promoter of Canadian culture and edited the first Anthology of Canadian Verse, bringing Canadian poetry to the attention of the rest of the English-speaking world.