Order of Canada Investiture Ceremony

The Order of Canada was created in 1967, during Canada’s centennial year, to recognize a lifetime of outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation. Since its creation, more than 5 000 people from all sectors of society have been invested into the Order.

Marq de Villiers (Eagle Head, Nova Scotia) is a gifted social and political commentator. His long and distinguished career has included contributions as a journalist, editor, and as the author or co-author of more than a dozen books. He has sought to foster understanding and to raise awareness of diverse topics, including history, politics and the environment. His vision and skill have been recognized with prestigious literary awards both in Canada and in his native South Africa.

Throughout his lengthy career, Calixte Duguay (Caraquet, New Brunswick) has helped promote Acadian culture throughout La Francophonie. As a poet and singer-songwriter, he was one of the first Acadian artists to provide his people with music and lyrics they could call their own. Through his songs—a number of which have become classics—he has helped Acadians gain a better appreciation of who they are, and to be proud of their history and identity. He has also inspired many other singers to pursue a career in French. In addition, he founded and directed a musical theatre company, and has written or co-written works that remain an important part of the Acadian repertoire, including the musical comedy Louis Mailloux.

Étienne Gaboury (Winnipeg, Manitoba) is a Franco-Manitoban who is proud of his roots and his part of the country, and whose architectural works mark the Prairie landscape. He believes place, cultural identity and sunlight play important roles, integrating and celebrating them in his works. Some of these include the Esplanade Riel pedestrian bridge, the Saint Boniface Cathedral and the Église Précieux-Sang, which is listed in almost every book on Canadian architecture. His work is also showcased abroad, and he is known especially for our embassy in Mexico. In addition, he is a pillar in the Franco-Manitoban community, and his dedication and leadership have benefitted a number of social, cultural and professional organizations.

"As Canadians, we are truly fortunate to have such imaginative, generous and talented individuals in our midst.You are a diverse group, one that includes leaders in Canada and on the international stage. You are community workers, educators, human rights advocates, artists and designers, scientists and researchers, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, environmentalists, caregivers and volunteers. Each of you has answered the call to service."

One of the most accomplished Canadian physicists of his generation, Willard Boyle (Halifax, Nova Scotia) is an innovative scientist whose work has been the keystone of many new technologies used throughout the world. He is best known as the co-inventor of the charged-coupled device (CCD), a light-sensitive circuit that revolutionized imaging technology, and for which he won the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics. He also developed the first continuously operating ruby laser, which helped to spur the development of fiber optics. In addition, he lent support to the Apollo space program and, following his retirement, he provided leadership to the Research Council of the Canadian Institute of Advanced Research, as well as to the Nova Scotia Council for Applied Science and Technology.

Through decades of political hardship, repression and grave personal danger, Sima Samar (Kabul, Afghanistan) has consistently defended human rights in Afghanistan and throughout the world. A physician by profession and an outspoken advocate for women’s rights, she helped establish schools and medical clinics for girls and women in Afghanistan and in refugee camps in Pakistan. After the fall of the Taliban regime, she served as deputy prime minister and minister for women’s affairs in Afghanistan’s interim government. In these and other roles, including as chairperson of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, she helped lay the groundwork for far-reaching change in the administration of social justice. She is the former United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in Sudan, has worked closely with Canadian officials through many of her endeavours, and has earned numerous international human rights awards.

Raymonde April (Montréal, Quebec) has made a significant contribution to the evolution of photography in Canada. This artist and chair of the Studio Arts department at Concordia University has set herself apart in documentary photography and broadened its horizons by incorporating the self-portrait and details from daily life. Her works, which include publications and films, have been the subject of both national and international exhibitions, and have been acquired by prominent museum institutions. Known to be constantly on the lookout for new avenues, she is equally recognized for her commitment to the artistic community, notably for co-founding La Chambre Blanche, one of the first artist-run centres in Canada.

John Stanton (Edmonton, Alberta) challenges, motivates and empowers Canadians to adopt an active lifestyle. Formerly an overweight smoker, he changed his life on the day he could barely finish a fun run with his sons. He then founded the Running Room and later, the Walking Room. He built his business on the principle that Canadians would benefit from the availability of proper equipment, and from participating in social networks, instructional clinics and motivational talks to become and remain physically active. An inspirational role model, he has also supported and promoted hundreds of charitable organizations locally, provincially and nationally, including the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

Throughout his career, Clarence Guenter (Canmore, Alberta) has played an important role in developing academic medicine, health policy and health care delivery. Professor emeritus at the University of Calgary, he chaired the department of medicine and has led both the Canadian and American thoracic societies. A consultant in health policy for nearly two decades and a retired specialist in pulmonary medicine, he has dedicated the rest of his life to modernizing and improving medical training programs in developing countries. A model of compassion and selflessness, he has inspired many young physicians to devote their time to improving the quality of health care delivery abroad.

Their Excellencies are pictured with all the Members, Officers and Companions who were invested into the Order of Canada on November 17, 2010.