Burnishing an honour
It’s meant for Canadians who have “enriched the lives of others and made a difference to this country.” But there’s a nagging sense that the Order of Canada hasn’t been awarded as fairly as it should.
Ottawa is promising to correct that with money in last week’s federal budget dedicated to reforms, including boosting representation from “under-represented sectors.” In principle, it’s a worthy objective. But details are sketchy.
Given the hyper-partisan nature of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative government, there’s room for concern that this could result in more Tory bagmen and assorted party spearcarriers inducted into the order. That would be a travesty.
More than 6,000 people have been invested into the Order of Canada since its inception in the Centennial year of 1967. The time is right for a new national conversation on who should be recognized.
According to Gov. Gen. David Johnston, Canada’s official honours need to reach a broader cross-section of people than they do now. And he’s right.
“It may be especially important in an age of instant recognition and communication,” Johnston told The Canadian Press last week. It would help the public better “understand those people who, over a period of time, have made remarkable contributions to the leadership of our country.”
Johnston welcomed the government’s commitment to spend $13.4 million over five years to bring about change and expressed particular concern about gender and regional representation. For every woman nominated for the Order of Canada, his office says, the names of three men are put forward.
Furthermore, an analysis by the Ottawa Citizen in 2011found that people living in the Atlantic region were inducted into the Order at a far higher rate, per capita, than people in the West. And artists, authors and entertainers were being handed a steadily increasing share of the honour.
Perhaps it’s all well-deserved, with people in Atlantic Canada simply doing a better job of making a difference to the country. Or there could be bias at work. A serious look the award process, including the criteria for eligibility and selection, should settle the question and clear the way for reform.
Particular effort should be made to keep the system free of partisan considerations. And strong emphasis should be put on recognizing people from all walks of life who volunteer to assist others, not just the famous and the powerful.
For almost 50 years, many of the country’s brightest, best and most accomplished have been honoured through the Order of Canada. Making the process more balanced and open to a wider array of achievers should further burnish this most treasured of awards.
Plan to reform national accolade deserves support