June 5 and 6, 2026
Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada, presented the 2026 Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards (GGPAA) to seven laureates during a ceremony at Rideau Hall, on Friday, June 5, 2026.
- Susan Benson, C.M. – Set and costume designer and painter (Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award)
- James Cameron, C.C. – Filmmaker, explorer, inventor and environmental entrepreneur (Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award)
- Sylvain Émard – Dancer, choreographer and teacher (Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award)
- Daniel Lavoie, O.C. – Singer-songwriter, performer and poet (Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award)
- Tonya Williams, O.C. – Screen actor and producer, arts executive and activist (Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award)
- Sae Hoon (Stan) Chung – Writer, editor and consultant (Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Voluntarism in the Performing Arts)
- Barbara Hannigan, C.M.– Soprano and conductor (National Arts Centre Award)
Laureates, you represent us so well, and in doing so, make us proud to be Canadian.
You have touched our hearts and elevated our spirits.
Saturday evening, Her Excellency honoured the laureates when she delivered remarks at the 2026 GGPAA Show at the National Arts Centre (NAC), in Ottawa.
Thank you for elevating Canada’s cultural presence around the world and for opening doors for future generations of artists.
About the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards
Created in 1992, by the late Right Honourable Ramon John Hnatyshyn, then-Governor General, and his wife, Gerda, the awards are presented annually to Canadians whose extraordinary achievements have contributed significantly to the enrichment of Canada’s cultural life.