Order of Canada

Membership in the Order of Canada is Canada's highest civilian honour, awarded to those who adhere to the Order's motto Desiderantes meliorem patriam, which means "they desire a better country." Created in 1967, the Order was established to recognize the lifetime contributions made by Canadians who made a major difference to Canada. The Order also recognizes efforts made by non-Canadians who have made the world better by their actions. Musicians, politicians, artists, television stars, benefactors, and many more have been accepted into the Order. The Queen of Canada, Queen Elizabeth II, is Sovereign of the Order and the serving Governor General of Canada is its Chancellor and Principal Companion. Since 1967, 5053 people have been appointed to the Order of Canada. {{ref|OoCTotal}}

Provincial and territorial orders

Main article: Canadian provincial and territorial orders

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Various Canadian provinces and territories have also created orders to award their citizens on great deeds:

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• Alberta Order of Excellence
• Order of British Columbia
• Order of Manitoba
• Order of New Brunswick
• Order of Newfoundland and Labrador
• Order of Nova Scotia
• Order of Ontario
• Order of Prince Edward Island
• National Order of Quebec
• Saskatchewan Order of Merit
• Yukon Territory Order of Polaris

Each province sets up its own rules on how membership in its order is awarded, though there is no rule that Order of Canada members cannot be inducted to provincial and territorial orders. Limitations on the number of provincial order inductions every year by certain provinces has led to this being more common for people from some provinces than from others. An example would be Gordon Lightfoot being a Companion of the Order of Canada and a member of the Order of Ontario (O. Ont.). {{ref|Lightfoot2}} The Order of Ontario places no limit on the annual number of inductions (although it is usually around 25). The Alberta Order of Excellence is limited to five inductees each year. One of the few Albertans to be part of the provincial and Canadian orders is former prime minister Joe Clark.

Related Topics:
Order of Ontario - Prime minister - Joe Clark

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