Order of Canada Investiture Ceremony

The Governor General presided over an Order of Canada investiture ceremony at Rideau Hall, on Friday, February 12, 2016. As chancellor and Principal Companion of the Order, he bestowed the honour on 1 Companion, 7 Officers and 39 Members.

"With this honour, you’re part of an extraordinary network of people that spans the length and breadth of this country," said His Excellency. "Think about the great things you can learn and achieve together! For yourselves, your communities and for Canada."

The National Anthem was sung by Mr. Garth Hampson.

Sandra Irving, C.M. (Saint John, New Brunswick) is a community leader in Atlantic Canada. She strongly supports education through student scholarships, mentorship and exchange programs, and has been a key figure in helping Junior Achievement raise financial support for entrepreneurial business studies, which prepare the next generation for business leadership. As advisory council chair of the Royal Society of Canada, she highlighted the importance of supporting Canada’s leading scholars and researchers, and was instrumental in establishing the organization’s Atlantic chapter. She also plays an important role in supporting the business and community initiatives of Irving Oil.

Ted Grant, C.M. (Victoria, British Columbia) has captured a visual record of Canadian history through his lens. Known as the “father of Canadian photojournalism,” he has photographed everything from catastrophic disasters to sporting events, to the everyday life of Canadians. He has produced an immense body of work, and has contributed close to 300 000 photographs to our national archives – the largest collection in our history. He has been equally generous with his time, as an instructor and mentor to young, aspiring photographers.

James K. Gordon, C.M. (Sudbury, Ontario) has made visionary contributions to the social and economic fabric of his community. As Sudbury’s longest-serving mayor, he was instrumental in changing the region’s business landscape from a mining town to a more economically diverse area that now includes new sectors such as cancer treatment, retail, science and technology. He continues to champion such causes as access to health care, notably by helping to establish the first medical school in northern Ontario.

A passionate and determined manager, Michèle Fortin, C.M. (Montréal, Quebec) has been contributing to the vitality of French-language, cultural and educational television for over 25 years. She left her mark on Radio-Canada where, as vice-president, she developed a more diversified television experience for French Canadians, notably through the creation and development of the ARTV channel. As president and CEO of Télé-Québec, she applied an innovative approach to ensure the organization’s sustainability by promoting quality programming, particularly for young audiences, and by focusing on culture.

A Cree born and raised on the Kehewin First Nation in Alberta, Madeleine Dion Stout, C.M. (Tsawwassen, British Columbia) has played a major role in the development of Aboriginal health care and education. After working in the field for over a decade and becoming one of the first Aboriginal university-educated nurses, she joined the federal Department of Health and Welfare. As a special policy advisor to the Minister, she played a key role in initiatives such as the devolution of health powers to Indigenous communities in the late 1980s. Now the president of Dion Stout Reflections Inc., she adopts a Cree lens in her research, writing and lectures on First Nations health.

With a forward-thinking approach, the Honourable Louise Otis, O.C., O.Q. (Montréal, Quebec) helped expand the administration of justice in Canada and abroad. A retired justice of the Quebec Court of Appeal, she instituted the first integrated judicial mediation system in Canada, thereby easing and expediting the dispute resolution process. In addition to being a mediator, arbitrator and judge in international courts, she founded such organizations as the Canadian Conference of Judicial Mediation. She is also renowned as an outstanding educator in McGill University’s Faculty of Law.

Magellan (Max) Gros-Louis, O.C., O.Q. (Wendake, Quebec) has dedicated his life to building a strong and proud Indigenous people. Formerly grand chief of the Huron-Wendat Nation in Wendake for over 25 years, he shaped his community into a model for others to follow. He has also championed First Nations’ rights and was one of the founding members of the National Indian Brotherhood (today known as the Assembly of First Nations) and the Indians of Quebec Association, for which he served as spokesperson and vice-president. A man of dialogue, he has also raised awareness of the reality and culture of Indigenous peoples through various international forums.

The Honourable Robert Keith Rae, P.C., C.C., O.Ont. (Toronto, Ontario) is deeply engaged in advancing the public good in Canada and abroad. Insightful, diplomatic and charismatic, he is renowned for taking on some of our nation’s most complex issues and working to find resolutions. His work with First Nations communities, particularly in the area of treaty renewal, is helping to bring about reconciliation between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples. He has also been sought out by governments in Kenya, Iraq and Sri Lanka for his expertise in mediation and federalism. As a parliamentarian, he was known for his eloquence, good humour and passionate commitment to good governance and consensus building throughout our country. This is a promotion within the Order.

Group photo taken prior to the formal dinner held in honour of the newly invested recipients of the Order of Canada.