Actor Michael J. Fox, shown at a 2017 awards ceremony in Ottawa, is a newly promoted companion of the Order of Canada.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
Canadian-born actor Michael J. Fox, iconic for playing Marty McFly in the 1985 film Back to the Future and its sequels, and well known on TV for playing Alex P. Keaton in the 80s-era sitcom Family Ties, has been honoured by the Order of Canada for his activism about Parkinson’s, the neurological disease he has been living with since he was 29.
“Michael J. Fox is in a remarkable chapter of his life, blending selective acting with powerful global advocacy and unflinching honesty about Parkinson’s,” said a Rideau Hall citation on Mr. Fox, who is one of 61 new Order of Canada appointments announced Friday.
Mr. Fox, 65, was initially named an officer of the order in 2010, but there’s a provision for promotion within the order for demonstrated continued exceptional achievement. Mr. Fox was promoted to a companion in this round of appointments.
The Order of Canada consists of three grades: companion, officer and member, with promotions among the levels considered five years after the last appointment.
This year’s citation noted that Mr. Fox, born in Edmonton and raised in Burnaby, B.C., has driven transformative research through his Michael J. Fox Foundation, founded in 2000, nine years after Mr. Fox was diagnosed with the neurological disorder.
The citation also noted that Mr. Fox has inspired millions through his writing, public speaking and the acclaimed 2023 documentary Still about Mr. Fox’s struggle with Parkinson’s.
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In an interview on Thursday, Mr. Fox said the new Order of Canada honour was humbling in the deepest sense of the word, and that he would return to Rideau Hall to receive the promotion.
“I recognize that what I have done means something to people and I respect that, and I’m grateful,” Mr. Fox said. “I love Canada and I love being included in the Canadian experience.”
He said he also loves the United States. “It has been very good to me, but I’m a Canadian, and I wake up in the morning as a Canadian, and I go to sleep as a Canadian and I watch hockey in between,” he said.
On the citation’s reference to “unflinching honesty” as it relates to dealing with Parkinson’s, Mr. Fox said there is no other choice.
“It is what it is. I think that’s another Canadian thing too. I would say that acceptance is a key to dealing with Parkinson’s,” he said. “If you can accept it, it doesn’t mean you’re not resolved to change it.
“It just means you see what it is. You know what it is and you’re honest about it. You can be optimistic and be a realist.”
Others promoted this year include famed soccer player Christine Sinclair of Vancouver, who was named a companion for leading the Canadian team to its first-ever Olympic gold medal and serving as a “powerful advocate” for the advancement of women’s sport.
Christine Sinclair, international soccer's all-time leading scorer, nets a goal against Japan during Canada's run to the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.The Associated Press
Singer-songwriter Loreena McKennitt was promoted to officer status for representing Canadian culture at home and abroad, supporting military families and reconciliation efforts.
Friday’s announcement featured a total of five promotions within the order. There were four companions, 19 officers and 38 members named, adding to the nearly 8,800 people appointed to or promoted within the order since it was created in 1967.
Although Friday’s order appointments were announced by Governor-General Louise Arbour, installed this month as King Charles’ representative in Canada, they were, according to a statement from Rideau Hall, selected by Ms. Arbour’s predecessor Mary Simon.
Ms. Simon made the appointments on April 17, acting on the recommendations of an advisory council on the order, which is one of Canada’s most noted honours, said the statement.
Still, Ms. Arbour spoke to the moment. “I am honored for the first time as governor general, to extend my sincere congratulations to all new appointees,” she said in a written statement.
Opinion: Louise Arbour ticks every box for the job of governor-general
Several members of Canada’s Black community were honoured this year. They include Corrine Sparks, the first Black judge in Nova Scotia and first Black woman to serve as a judge in Canada. Also, Montreal’s Juanita Westmoreland-Traoré, Quebec’s first Black judge and Canada’s first Black law dean, was honoured. Others include Gordon Earle, Nova Scotia’s first Black MP, a public servant and a human-rights advocate, and Toronto-based hip-hop artist, author and educator Duane D. O. Gibson.
Mayann Francis, Nova Scotia’s first Black lieutenant-governor, was also appointed. “I am deeply honoured and happy to be appointed to the Order of Canada,” Ms. Francis said in a statement.
Mayann Francis served as Nova Scotia's lieutenant-governor from 2006 to 2012.Darren Calabrese/The Globe and Mail
Actor Philip Akin, honoured for his work on stage and screen over about 50 years, was named to the order for setting an example with his work as a performer and producer. “At a time when there were few Black performers on Canadian television, he inspired many,” said his citation, also acknowledging his founding of the Obsidian Theatre, which produces plays primarily focused on the works of Black playwrights.
Mr. Akin joked, in an interview, that if he described the order as vindication, he might sound a bit bitter. “In my heart, I always knew what I was doing was the right thing to do and I didn’t need the approval of others,” he said. “That it has come is amazing.”
He added, “I just really believe in the empowerment and growth of Black artists in the country and leaving a legacy behind.”
Among others named to the order was Yvan Cournoyer, cited for his 16 seasons playing with the Montreal Canadiens during which the team won 10 Stanley Cups. He was named an officer. “He has also distinguished himself through his community and philanthropic work,” said the citation.
Mr. Cournoyer was taken aback when Rideau Hall called to inform him of the news. “It’s amazing. I said, ‘Wow, What an honour,’ ” he said in an interview. He quipped that this honour was effectively going to be his 11th Stanley Cup.
Montreal Canadiens alumnus Yvan Cournoyer carries the team's flaming torch before a home playoff game at the Bell Centre in April.Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images
Other appointments included Bishop Andrew Atagotaaluk of Inukjuak, Que., the first Inuk diocesan bishop in the Anglican Communion; Acadian historian Clarence LeBreton of Caraquet, N.B.; Prince Edward Island entrepreneur Daniel Murphy, founder of the D.P. Murphy Group hospitality enterprise; and Verna Caroline Williams of Aiyansh, B.C., cited for helping revitalize the Nisga’a language and traditional knowledge.
There was also retired senator Charlie Watt, an Inuit leader who founded both the Northern Quebec Inuit Association and the Makivvik Corp., which administers Inuit lands in Quebec.
“Throughout his 34-year career in the Senate, he championed Indigenous rights and introduced Inuktitut to the chamber,” said his citation.
Trèva Cousineau, a leader in the Franco-Ontarian community, was described in her citation as a “tireless activist” who has spent more than 60 years defending and promoting the Canadian Francophonie locally, provincially, nationally and internationally.
Christopher Gaze, the founding artistic director of Vancouver’s Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival, is being named to the Order of Canada for building the festival into a major cultural force, championing youth outreach and strengthening B.C.’s arts community through mentorship and public engagement.
“This is a magical moment in my life and I am deeply grateful to all those who have gone before and shown me the way,” Mr. Gaze said in a statement. “The theatre has been my calling, my passion and delight – it is such a pleasure to be able to share this joy with many, many Bard lovers, colleagues and supporters over my long life in the theatre.”
New appointees to the order will be invested and receive their insignia at ceremonies to be held in due course, said Rideau Hall.
List of appointments
Michael Andrew Fox, C.C. Burnaby, British Columbia and New York
Donald K. Johnson, C.C. Toronto, Ontario
Lewis Edward Kay, C.C. Toronto, Ontario
Christine Sinclair, C.C., O.B.C. Vancouver, British Columbia
Officers
Eric E. Baker, O.C. Long Sault, Ontario
Cecilia Benoit, O.C. Victoria, British Columbia
Michel Bouvier, O.C., C.Q. Montréal
Yvan Cournoyer, O.C. Blainville, Quebec
Ronald C. C. Cuming, O.C. Saskatoon
Niv Fichman, O.C. Toronto
The Honourable Mayann Elizabeth Francis, O.C., O.N.S. Halifax
Alison Mary Keith, O.C. Toronto
Cindy Kenny-Gilday, O.C. Yellowknife
Loreena McKennitt, O.C., O.M., C.D. Stratford, Ontario
Tonita Murray, O.C., O.O.M. Ottawa
Peter William Nickerson, O.C. Winnipeg
Stephanie Nolen, O.C. Halifax
Beverley Anne Orser, O.C., O.Ont Toronto
Duke Redbird, O.C. Toronto
Corinne Etta Sparks, O.C. Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Mary Thompson, O.C. Waterloo, Ontario
The Honourable Charlie Watt, O.C., O.Q. Kuujjuaq, Quebec
Grover Timothy Whiten, O.C. Toronto
Members
Vicki Adams Willis, C.M. Calgary
Philip David Boothe Akin, C.M. Toronto
Stephen Lawrence Archer, C.M. Kingston, Ontario
Bishop Andrew Phillip Atagotaaluk, C.M. Inukjuak, Quebec
Sister Annette Bellavance, C.M., G.O.Q. Montréal
Trèva Cousineau, C.M. Orléans, Ontario
Allan L. Covens, C.M. Toronto
Chris Cran, C.M. Calgary
Gordon Sinclair Earle, C.M. Halifax
John William Foster, C.M. Ottawa
David Tat Fai Fung, C.M. West Vancouver
Christopher Gaze, C.M., O.B.C., M.S.M. Vancouver
Duane Michael Gibson, C.M. Toronto
Trevor Ariel Hurwitz, C.M. Vancouver
Prakash Vinodrai Joshi, C.M. Burnaby, British Columbia
Brenda Kamino, C.M. Toronto
Clarence LeBreton, C.M. Caraquet, New Brunswick
Martha L. P. MacLeod, C.M. Prince George, British Columbia
Ryan Bresser Moran, C.M., M.S.C. Victoria, British Columbia
Daniel Patrick Murphy, C.M. Stanhope Beach, Prince Edward Island
Nancy Nicol, C.M. Kingston, Ontario
Janice Lynn Pasieka, C.M. Calgary
Roger Damon Price, C.M. Ottawa
Caroline Quach-Thanh, C.M., O.Q. Montréal
Robert Quartermain, C.M. Vancouver
Jean-François Rivest, C.M. Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Quebec
Donald Colin Robertson, C.M., C.D. Ottawa
Lorne Richard Segal, C.M., O.B.C. Vancouver
Mary-Deanne Shears, C.M. Toronto
Harvey Allan Skinner, C.M. Toronto
Roderick Milton Stewart, C.M. Port Hope, Ontario
Floyd Edward Toole, C.M. Ottawa
Bhavana Varma, C.M., O.Ont. Kingston, Ontario
Jerry Hsueh-Ching Wang, C.M. Calgary
Juanita Westmoreland-Traoré, C.M. Montréal
Kona Kristen Chant Williams, C.M. Wahnapitae, Ontario
Verna Caroline Williams, C.M. Aiyansh, British Columbia
Anne Woolger, C.M. Pickering, Ontario