Officer of the Order of Canada
Awarded on: 2001-05-30
Invested on: 2001-12-04
He is one of the first dramatists to successfully present Canadian concerns and issues on stage. His well-known characters, the Mercers, who left Newfoundland to re-settle in Toronto, have become touchstones in Canadian theatre. The earliest of the Mercer plays, Leaving Home, became one of the most widely produced Canadian works while the second, Of the Fields, Lately, was a Chalmers Award winner. Noted for their strong characterization, his plays have been produced in many parts of the world, giving foreign audiences new insight into the Canadian identity.