OTTAWA – Celebrated actor and Parkinson’s disease activist Michael J. Fox said he felt both “pride” and “humility” while receiving a promotion within the Order of Canada on Friday.
Spectators stood and applauded Fox at Rideau Hall as Gov. Gen. Louise Arbour officially named him to the companion level of the Order of Canada.
Rideau Hall says Fox was elevated to the companion level to honour his “powerful global advocacy and unflinching honesty about Parkinson’s.”
“It’s so many things. But mostly it’s just growing up in Canada, loving this country, loving what it stands for and how it’s progressed and corrected course when it needed to, and stayed the course when it needed to,” Fox told The Canadian Press following the ceremony.
“I picked all that up growing up. I love Canadian music, I love that Canadian content thing. At the end, you have a 65-year-old guy who’s uniquely Canadian because of all those things.”
Parkinson’s is a progressive nervous system disorder that causes tremors, stiffness and slowness, and is linked to depression and memory problems.
Fox, who went public with his Parkinson’s diagnosis in 1998, has raised $2.5 billion for research into the disease and has shared candid experiences about the challenges faced by those living with its symptoms.
“Canada was one of the early proving grounds for (deep brain stimulation),” Fox said, pointing to advances in Parkinson’s research in Canada.
He was among 51 people inducted into, or promoted within, the Order of Canada on Friday.
Arbour said each inductee has demonstrated excellence and thanked them for their work.
“You could have used your talents solely to further your own success. Instead, you have chosen to use your skills, influence and energy to help others,” she said in French.
“Because talent, as exceptional as it may be, is not sufficient on its own. It also takes the will to get involved and to take action to improve one’s community and contribute to the common good.”
Arbour said Fox is a “shining example of this.”
“Your example reminds us of something that’s very fundamental: sustainable progress requires that we move forward with courage, imagination and determination,” she said.
“After all, back to the future has always been a much better idea than forward to the past.”
The comment was in reference to Fox’s iconic roles in the Back to the Future trilogy of movies.
“She’s very funny. Very sweet, very welcoming,” Fox said of Arbour, joking that her “average height” made him feel tall.
Yusuf Altintas, a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of British Columbia, was inducted as an officer of the Order of Canada along with Nada Jabado, a professor at McGill University who is being honoured for her work in pediatric neuro-oncology.
Former Bank of Canada governor Stephen Poloz was inducted an officer for helping to facilitate Canada’s international trade and promote its economic well-being.
Sculptor Ruth Elsie Abernethy was inducted as a member. Rideau Hall said she has created iconic life-size bronze pieces showcased around the world, and that her work explores themes of gender, heritage and nation-building.
Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter Susanne Craig was inducted as a member for her work with The New York Times, The Globe and Mail and The Wall Street Journal.
Rideau Hall described her as one of the most outstanding journalists of her generation, citing her coverage of contemporary issues in the United States.
Colin Roswell Clarke was inducted a member for his work as founder and artistic director of the Toronto Youth Wind Orchestra program. Marcelle Dubois was inducted a member for her work on revitalizing Quebec playwriting.
Patrick Joseph Lahey, co-founder of Triton Submarines, was inducted a member for being one of the world’s leading experts on submersibles and a leading voice for safe practices in the deep diving industry, Rideau Hall said.
With files from Alessia Passafiume.
