Order of Canada

Order of Canada, Canadian honors system founded in July 1967 by Queen Elizabeth II (under the advice of Canadian Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson) on the occasion of the Canadian Confederation’s centennial. The order’s motto is “Desiderantes meliorem patriam,” Latin for “They desire a better country.” Since its foundation, more than 7,000 people have been invested into the order. The order effectively replaced the Canada Medal, a recognition that was created in 1943 but never awarded. The current three-level structure of the order dates from its restructuring in 1972. In the Canadian order of precedence (relating to the sequence for wearing the insignia of Canadian orders, decorations, and medals as well as the post-nominal letters associated with them), the Order of Canada (all three levels) follows the Victoria Cross, the Cross of Valour, and the Order of Merit.

The Order of Canada was established to foster Canadian unity and emphasize the need for Canada’s identity to be grounded in its own traditions and symbolism, not those of Great Britain. The first chancellor of the order, Gov.-Gen. Roland Michener, thus expressed his hope that the order would allow Canadians to recognize one another as constituting a collective through the examples provided by the order’s appointees:

It seems to me that the Order of Canada, which honours distinguished service by Canadians from every region and walk of life, should add to our sense of togetherness by giving recognition and honour to those who have served the whole realm.

The Order of Canada can be awarded to any living Canadian except elected officials and judges while in office. Living non-Canadian citizens can be inducted into the order if their contributions have benefited or honored Canada. Any person can nominate someone to the order, and there is no deadline for submitting a nomination. Only individuals (not groups) can be selected, and the order does not allow for posthumous appointments.

Appointment to the Order of Canada is made by the governor-general of Canada on the basis of recommendations from the order’s Advisory Council. The king or queen of Canada (the British monarch) is the sovereign of the order, whereas his or her representative in Canada, the governor-general, is the chancellor and principal companion of the order (as well as an extraordinary companion thereof). There are three levels of the order: companion (C.C.), officer (O.C.), and member (C.M.). The most prestigious level, companion, is limited at any time to 180 members, excluding the principal companion, extraordinary companions, and honorary companions. It recognizes the recipient’s ‘‘outstanding achievement and merit of the highest degree, especially in service to Canada or humanity at large.” The second level, officer, recognizes a similar contribution but one of a ‘‘high degree.” The third level of the order, member, differs by recognizing a more specific contribution that has benefited a community or field of activity. A maximum of 80 officers and 171 members may be appointed per year, although existing members of these two levels can also be promoted.

From its inception, the order has recognized the contributions of individuals in many fields of endeavor and from Canada’s different provinces. The first batch of appointees was relatively diverse, including in its ranks representatives of the social sciences (e.g., historian Donald G. Creighton), business (e.g., R.S. McLaughlin, first president of General Motors of Canada), sports (e.g., amateur golfer Marlene Stewart Streit), and the sciences (e.g., neurosurgeon Wilder G. Penfield), among other areas of contribution. This appointment of individuals from diverse backgrounds has remained true through the decades, varying from film director James Cameron to Canadian army Lieut. Gen. Roméo Dallaire and philosopher Charles Taylor. Occasionally, nominees have refused the order. Playwright Michel Tremblay, for instance, declined the order in 1990 because of his support for Quebec’s independence. Others have resigned from the order on principle or were expelled from its ranks. Most famously, the appointment of physician Henry Morgentaler in 2008, a staunch defender of abortion rights, led Cardinal Jean-Claude Turcotte, among others, to quit the order in protest.