Officer of the Order of Canada

• Awarded on: November 14, 1996
• Invested on: April 16, 1997

He has been called "the conscience of the nation" for his courage and integrity in defending academic freedom, and for his contributions in moving the country's political discourse beyond the classroom into the public domain. Author of the essential Penguin History of Canada, a respected historian and professor emeritus at the University of Toronto, he has had a formative influence on several generations, as his students themselves have become teachers of the theory and practice of social democracy.