Author Miriam Toews among Manitobans named to Order of Canada
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OTTAWA — Manitoba-born, Toronto-based novelist Miriam Toews has been appointed an officer of the Order of Canada.
The 61-year-old Toews was one of three Manitobans among the 83 recipients of the Order of Canada announced on June 30 by Gov. Gen. Mary Simon. The governor general’s website lauded Toews’ “unique ability to portray very human stories of overcoming adversity and finding meaning is a gift to her readers, and a source of inspiration to her adoring students and fans.”
Toews was raised in Steinbach and began her literary career while living in Winnipeg, before moving to Toronto in 2009.
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Manitoba-born author Miriam Toews has been given Canada’s highest civilian honour.
She is the author of nine books, primarily novel-length fiction, much of which is peppered with autobiographical components. Among her novels are 2004’s A Complicated Kindness, winner of the Governor General’s Literary Award for fiction, 2014’s All My Puny Sorrows, winner of the Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize, and 2018’s Women Talking, which was shortlisted for the International Dublin Literary Awards and was made into an Oscar-nominated 2022 film.
Toews’ next book, A Truce That Is Not Peace, is her first work of autobiographical non-fiction, and will be published on Aug. 26 by Knopf Canada.
Two Manitobans were named members of the Order of Canada: Albert Friesen, who helped build the province’s biotechnology industry, and created WinRho, Canada’ first biotech product; and Kathy Mulder, for her work to improve care for people with inherited bleeding disorders. She was the first woman and first Canadian to chair the World Federation of Hemophilia’s Musculoskeletal Committee.
The list of appointees also includes Marc-André Blanchard, who takes over in July as Prime Minister Mark Carney’s chief of staff. Blanchard previously worked as a lawyer and as Canada’s ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations.
Dr. Theresa Tam, who retired in June as Canada’s chief public health officer, will be inducted as an officer of the Order of Canada. Tam became a household name as she led the country’s public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Bonnie Henry, who led British Columbia’s pandemic response as the provincial health officer and is heading its public health response to the drug overdose crisis, joins Tam among the new appointees at the officer level.
More than 8,200 people have been appointed to the Order of Canada since its creation in 1967. Many are national household names, including politicians, musicians, actors and writers. Many others are awarded for their contributions at a more local level to multiple fields, including science, medicine, education and the arts.
The latest list includes several politicians, including former finance minister John Manley, who is being promoted to the companion level after initially being inducted as an officer of the Order of Canada in 2009.
Companion is the highest level within the order, followed by the officer level, which are both generally awarded for contributions to Canada as a whole, or “humanity at large.”
A member of the Order of Canada recognizes distinguished service to a specific community or within a specific field.
Maureen McTeer, a lawyer and author who has worked on gender issues and health guidelines, will be appointed as an officer. McTeer, who is married to former prime minister Joe Clark, is currently a visiting professor in the faculty of common law at the University of Ottawa.
“We proudly recognize each of these individuals whose dedication and passion for service not only enrich our communities but also help shape the fabric of our nation,” Simon said in a statement released with the list. “Together, they inspire us to strive for greatness and to foster a future filled with hope and possibility.”
Others appointed to the Order of Canada include biologist Ford Doolittle, musician Gilbert Donald Walsh, former senator Claudette Tardif and poet Louise Bernice Halfe, whose Cree name is Sky Dancer.
Genealogist Stephen White received an honorary appointment.
The inductees being announced Monday will be invested in ceremonies to be scheduled at a later date.
— The Canadian Press, with files from Ben Sigurdson
