OTTAWA — The Office of the Governor General of Canada announced on December 28 that Governor General of Canada Julie Payette this past week made a number of new appointments to the Order of Canada, upon the recommendation of the Advisory Council of the Order, chaired by the Richard Wagner, Chief Justice of Canada.
Among these appointees are scientist and Canadian community leader Dr. Arshavir Gundjian, a well-known senior active member of the Canadian-Armenian community and Armenian Diaspora, founder of the first Canadian Armenian school and several community infrastructures, and Greg Sarkissian, a businessman, and founding member and current president of the Zoryan Institute, which has established the Toronto University Genocide and Human Rights program.
This honor is granted by the governor general of Canada to individuals as a testament to their outstanding achievements and service to the nation. According to the Canadian Encyclopedia “The Order of Canada is the highest level of distinction in the Canadian Honours System. It was established on 1 July 1967, the 100th anniversary of Confederation.”
Biannually, following a meticulous and confidential review, the Advisory Council of the Order of Canada, based on established criteria, makes a selected number of recommendations to the governor general of Canada, who makes the final decision of appointments.
In the past, from 1967 to 2015, only 6,530 people from all walks of life have been appointed to the Order. The official press release that appeared in the Canadian press on December 28 names 120 distinguished recipients who have been appointed or promoted to the different ranks of the Order on this date for their respective exceptional lifetime accomplishments.
Governor General Payette will invest the new recipients at Rideau Hall in Ottawa soon at an official investiture ceremony, where individual official citations will be made for each recipient.
