Order of Canada goes to advocates, athletes, scientists and Ryan Reynolds

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More than 40 years after being told she was a threat to Canada because of her sexuality, Diane Pitre is being given one of the country’s top honours.

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The advocate for LGBTQ+ members of the Canadian Armed Forces, who was kicked out of the service in 1980 as part of what has become known as The Purge, is among 88 new appointees to the Order of Canada announced Wednesday.

They include “Deadpool” movie star Ryan Reynolds, Holocaust survivor and educator Mariette Doduck, geneticist David Chitayat, curler Kevin Martin and Heather Rankin, a member of the award-winning band The Rankin Family.

It’s an honour Pitre said she’s still trying to wrap her head around.

“I’m still in shock, and it’s surreal for me. I never expected it,” Pitre said from her home in Campbellton, N.B.

Pitre spent decades after being kicked out of the military lobbying for an apology from the government.

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That came in 2017 when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stood in the House of Commons and apologized for past state-sanctioned discrimination against members of the LGBTQ+ community in Canada.

Douglas Elliott, lead counsel in a class-action lawsuit related to The Purge, was also appointed to the Order of Canada this year.

This year’s list of Canadians deemed to have made extraordinary contributions to the nation features scientists including internationally recognized E. coli expert Carlton Gyles, pediatric neuro-oncology researcher Nada Jabado and speech-language pathologist Aura Kagan.

Musicians and artists on the list include Don Alder, one of the top acoustic fingerstyle guitarists in the world, internationally renowned sculptor Ruth Abernethy, and multimedia artist Stan Douglas.

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New officers of the Order of Canada include author Maureen Jennings, who wrote the “Detective Murdoch” series of books that was adapted into the TV show “Murdoch Mysteries” on CBC, and music and media executive Randy Lennox, who led companies including Universal Music Canada and Bell Media.

Businessman Pierre Boivin, who was president of the Montreal Canadiens for 11 years and now serves as chancellor of McGill University, was promoted to a companion of the Order of Canada, the highest level within the Order.

Gov. Gen. Mary Simon thanked the appointees for their “perseverance, fearless leadership and visionary spirit.”

“Members of the Order of Canada are builders of hope for a better future. Each in their own way, they broaden the realm of possibilities and inspire others to continue pushing its boundaries,” she said in a statement.

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Disability rights expert Michael Prince said he choked up telling his wife about his appointment.

“Sometimes you just don’t know where the feeling comes from, it just sort of overwhelmed me,” he said.

“I think just the importance of it, or the significance of it … was quite profound. I could barely get the words out.”

A University of Victoria professor, Prince has advised federal, provincial and territorial governments on disability rights and served on four royal commissions.

He most recently made news when he resigned in April from the federal government’s disability advisory group over what he said was the inadequate funding of the Canada Disability Benefit.

Canadian curling superstar Martin said he doesn’t know who nominated him for the award but called it a surprise and an honour.

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Martin, whose resume includes a world championship in 2008, a silver medal at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games and four gold medals at the Brier, also holds the record for Grand Slam titles with 17.

Rideau Hall credits Martin with helping to guide the sport’s competitive development, and contributing to the sport as a broadcaster, speaker, business person and teacher.

“You try your best at whatever it is you’re doing to grow whatever part of society you tend to to live in, and do your best,” he said.

“And if something like this happens, that’s fantastic. But it’s unexpected.”

Pitre is the founder and co-chair of Rainbow Veterans of Canada and said she will continue her work even though progress has been made.

“I’ve been doing this for so long, and I’m going to continue doing it because you don’t want things to change (back). You never know when those things can happen again,” she said.

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New members of the order are invited to a ceremony to receive their insignia. A statement from Rideau Hall says ceremonies will be announced “in due course.”

A list of the 88 new appointees to the Order of Canada

Here is the list of notable Canadians:

Companion

Pierre Boivin — Montreal (This is a promotion within the order.)

Officers

Stephen Aaron Arshinoff — Toronto

Sylvia Beth Bashevkin — Toronto

Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta — Toronto

Ronald Frank Burnett — Vancouver (This is a promotion within the order.)

Stan Douglas — Vancouver

Dafna Debora Gladman — Toronto

Carlton Lloyd Gyles — Guelph, Ont.

Nada Jabado — Montreal

Maureen Ann Jennings — Toronto

Dominique Alice Lemieux, O.C. (deceased) _ Saint-Etienne-de-Bolton, Que.

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Randy Lennox — Oakville, Ont.

Tania Murray Li — Toronto

Marco Antonio Marra — Vancouver

David Richard McCann — Vancouver

Jeffrey John McDonnell — Vernon, B.C.

Derek Muir — Grimsby, Ont.

Stanley Nattel — Montreal

General Walter John Natynczyk (retired) — Hartington, Ont.

Lesley E. Paulette — Smith’s Landing First Nation, Fitzgerald, Alta.

Heather Rankin — Mabou, Cape Breton, N.S.

Ryan Reynolds — Vancouver and New York

Christiane Rousseau — Mont-Saint-Gregoire, Que.

Tricia Catherine Smith — Vancouver (This is a promotion within the order.)

George A. Trusler — Toronto

Members

Ruth Elsie Abernethy — Wellesley, Ont.

Donald Alder — Vancouver

Vincent Asselin — Montreal

Orland Arthur Backstrom — Winnipeg

Louise A. MacCallum and Michael A. Barnstijn — Guelph, Ont.

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Barry Kenneth Blanchard — Canmore, Alta.

John Anthony Boeckh — Westmount, Que.

Nicole Bourque-Bouchier — Fort McMurray, Alta.

Maureen Constance Boyd — Ottawa

Sandy Howard Buchman — Toronto

James Kevin Cameron — Lethbridge, Alta.

David A. Chitayat — Toronto

Stacy Churchill — Toronto

Colin Roswell Clarke — Oakville, Ont.

Fabienne Colas — Carignan, Que.

Felix J. E. Comeau — Mississauga, Ont.

Carol Ann Cowan-Levine — Toronto, Ontario

Donald A. Dippo — Comox, B.C.

Mariette Doduck — Vancouver

Laurent Duvernay-Tardif — Montreal

Morna Edmundson — Vancouver

Roy Douglas Elliott — Elliot Lake, Ont.

Pyarali Gulamani Nanji — Toronto

Pinchas Gutter — Toronto

Daniel A. Haas — Toronto

Aura Kagan — Thornhill, Ont.

Jean-Pierre Kingsley — Ottawa

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Isolde Lagace — Montreal

Andre Bernard Lalonde — Ottawa

Jeanne Brigitte Lehman — Edmonton

Karen Levine — Toronto

John Donald Longhurst — Winnipeg

Irving Ludmer — Montreal

Lorin Jean MacDonald — Toronto

Kevin Ray Martin — Edmonton

Louis Menard — Montreal

Kenneth Leslie Mould — Winnipeg

Wendy Muckle — Ottawa

Steve Murphy — Halifax

Vijayakumar Murty — Toronto

Scott Oake — Winnipeg

Barbara Jean Perry — Oshawa, Ont.

Diane Marie Pitre — Campbellton, N.B.

Michael J. Prince — Victoria

Julia Berger Reitman — Montreal

Bernard Paul Richard — Cap-Pele, N.B.

Richard Rose — Toronto

Greg Ryan — Toronto

Chloe Sainte-Marie — Montreal

Guy Saint-Jacques — Saint-Lambert, Que.

Walter Schneider — Toronto

Joseph A. Schwarcz — Montreal

Charles Clayton Scott — Banff, Alta.

Sam D. Shemie — Montreal

Diane Patricia Helen Sims — Stratford, Ont.

Valerie Sue Tarasuk — Toronto

Tirajeh Tehranchian — Toronto

Gabriel David Tuccaro — Fort Chipewyan, Alta.

Jean Turmel — Montreal, Que.

Ajay K. Virmani — Oakville, Ont.

Allan Douglas George Wade — Duncan, B.C.

Mark Zuehlke — Victoria

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