Trebek, Messier and 97 others join the O.C.
Ninety-nine new appointees to the Order of Canada were announced Friday, on the eve of Canada’s 150th birthday. As usual, some are renowned celebrities, others are influential powerbrokers while others are quietly genius scientists you’ve never heard of.
ALEX TREBEK AND TWO SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE ALUMNI
Catherine O’Hara, Mike Myers and Alex Trebek all rank in that elite group of Canadians that Americans have heard of — and will all need to cross the border to accept their awards. Myers, for one, is in the odd position of having been put on a Canada Post stamp before he received an Order of Canada.
THE WORLD’S SECOND-HIGHEST SCORER IN WOMEN’S SOCCER
Born in Burnaby, B.C., Christine Sinclair plays for Portland Thorns FC in Oregon. She’s got two Olympic bronze medals, she’s spent 13 consecutive years as the top player in Canadian women’s soccer and her career international goal total is second worldwide.
THE GUY WHO PAINTED REBECCA ROMIJN BLUE IN X-MEN
Longtime makeup artist Gordon Smith has worked on JFK, Platoon and more than 80 other films, earning him credit as a pioneer in certain silicone techniques. But his crowning achievement was covering Rebecca Romijn’s nude body with blue scales for the 2000 film X-Men.
MARK MESSIER
The only hockey player to make the list this year. Messier was honoured for being an “outstanding player and captain,” although Rideau Hall curiously failed to mention his excellent contributions to potato chip commercials.
THE FIRST INDIGENOUS WOMAN TO STUDY AT UBC
Gloria Cranmer is the daughter of Kwakwaka’wakw chief Dan Cranmer, who famously hosted a massive potlatch in 1921 in defiance of the federal ban on Indigenous cultural ceremonies — prompting a raid and mass arrests by Indian agents. Cranmer got her degree in anthropology from UBC in 1956, and soon became key in repatriating ceremonial objects taken by Canadian museums, including those from her father’s 1921 potlatch.
THE NIQAB CASE LAWYER
Lorne Waldman was the lawyer for Zunera Ishaq, who in 2015 won her case to wear a niqab during her citizenship oath. His Order of Canada citation mentions his “commitment to upholding justice.”
THE EDITOR OF VANITY FAIR
Born in Toronto, the wildhaired Graydon Carter has headed one of the United States’ most well-known magazines since 1992. He’s also the only appointee on this list to be directly insulted by Donald Trump. “Graydon Carter, no talent, will be out!,” the U.S. president tweeted in December.
AN INTERNATIONAL BRAILLE MASTER
A volunteer with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind for more than 50 years, Darleen Bogart has not only co-ordinated the production of thousands of braille books but has been credited with helping to build the accepted worldwide standard of Unified English braille.
THE CANADIAN GODFATHER OF CRAFT BREWING
Nowadays, there’s scarcely a brick industrial building left that doesn’t already have a craft brewer in it. But when Peter McAuslan got started in the 1980s, his only competitors were the likes of Labatt and Molson. His McAuslan Brewing company is known for the St. Ambroise brand of beers.
THE HEAD OF THE CANADARM PROGRAM
Born in Rimbey, Alta., Garry Lindberg was project manager of the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System, which became known as the Canadarm. It remains Canada’s most well-known technical contribution to space flight.
ELEVEN DIFFERENT PHILANTHROPISTS
One of the largest single blocs of appointees this year is philanthropists: Entrepreneurs and moguls who are busy giving away their fortunes. One of the appointees is Emmanuelle Gattuso who, along with her broadcasting tycoon husband Allan Slaight, have donated more than $70 million to Toronto’s Princess Margaret Hospital.
THE CANADIAN RECORD PRODUCER WHO’S WORKED WITH EVERYBODY
Daniel Lanois produced U2’s Joshua Tree, Bob Dylan’s Oh Mercy and Robbie Robertson’s first solo album, among others, making him singularly responsible for a large swath of 1980s music that has survived the ravages of time. Other credits include Neil Young, Peter Gabriel, Sinead O’Connor and the soundtrack for Last of the Mohicans.
AN OILMAN!
That’s right; amidst all the many poets and academics, they managed to shoehorn in an old-fashioned Calgary oilman. Bill Siebens founded one of the first Canadian petroleum companies large enough to go international.