Governor General Mary Simon has approved the termination of appointments to the Order of Canada for Jacques Lamarre and Peter Dalglish, both of whom were found guilty of wrongdoing. The announcement, made on Friday, marks a significant step in upholding the integrity of Canada's prestigious honour system.
Jacques Lamarre, former CEO of SNC-Lavalin, was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2005. However, he was later found guilty of collusion and corruption related to the firm's activities in Libya with Saadi Gadhafi, son of the former dictator Moammar Gadhafi. The l'Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec also stripped Lamarre of his license and imposed a hefty fine.
Peter Dalglish, founder of Street Kids International, received the Order of Canada in 2016 for his humanitarian work. In 2019, he was convicted in Nepal of sexually assaulting two boys and sentenced to 16 years in prison. His actions stand in stark contrast to the values of the Order of Canada.
The decision to remove Lamarre and Dalglish from the Order of Canada was published in the Canada Gazette. Other individuals who have been stripped of the honour include Conrad Black and Buffy Sainte-Marie. The Advisory Council of the Order of Canada can initiate the formal removal process if a member's actions are deemed to have brought dishonour to the order.
