Member of the Order of Canada

• Awarded on: October 21, 2020
• Invested on: December 01, 2022

The Honourable Joan Fraser, C.M.
Montréal, Quebec

Joan Fraser is an eminent journalist and public commentator. The first woman appointed editor-in-chief of The Gazette, she is lauded for her contributions to Canadian politics and for her high journalistic standards, notably during the coverage of the 1995 Quebec independence referendum. Now retired, she served a 20-year tenure in the Senate, where she chaired several standing committees and was deputy leader of the Senate Liberals. Regarded as a bridge-builder between Quebec’s “two solitudes,” she has tirelessly advocated for language minority rights and for gender equality in politics.