The order of controversy

By Janet Epp Buckingham and ChristianWeek | March 14, 2008

Hard to believe but the Order of Canada has become a political issue. This prestigious award is given by the Governor General of Canada to those who are honoured for their contribution to this country.

But the current Governor General has, perhaps inadvertently, made the award political by honouring certain types of achievements over others. Most recently there were duelling campaigns for and against Henry Morgentaler receiving the Order. He has not. But former prime minister Jean Chretien is receiving it for, among other things, supporting same-sex marriage.

According to the Governor General's website, "The Order of Canada is the centrepiece of Canada's honours system and recognizes a lifetime of outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation." The motto is: Desiderantes meliorem patriam (They desire a better country).

The Governor General is meant to be neutral. She, or he, ought not be taking sides on controversial issues.

How does one get this prestigious award? First, you need to be
nominated. Then you need to have others who will support the nomination. The nominees are diverse, ranging from astronauts to those who work with the poor.

So the Order of Canada has in some ways always been "small p" political because it takes some lobbying for a person to get it. But recently I have been told of someone who was nominated but was considered "too controversial" because of public opposition to same-sex marriage.

Yet Jean Chretien's support for same-sex marriage has been singled out as award-worthy. This is simply taking sides in a very controversial issue.

Michaëlle Jean has already taken sides on this issue. Brent Hawkes was named a member of the Order in May, 2007, an he officially received last month. Hawkes is the senior pastor of Metropolitan Community Church in Toronto, a church catering to gays and lesbians. He has long been an advocate of gay rights, and performed the first same-sex marriage.

And so, once it became clear that the current Governor General was willing to award the highest honour to those who fought for gay rights, it seemed natural that the pro-choice movement could hope that their cause would also garner support. After all, Morgentaler has been granted an honourary doctorate for his battles to legalize abortion.

Fortunately, pro-life folk caught wind of this movement and took steps to let the Governor General know that this is still a very controversial issue in Canada. No doubt, those who support abortion thought the issue was over and done with. After all, the legal case was fought 20 years ago. But the verdict's 20th anniversary only provided an opportunity to highlight the fact that the unborn have no legal rights in Canadian law.

It is sad that those on one side of an issue are deemed "too controversial" but those on the other side are honoured.

The Order of Canada has long been considered to be reserved for those who have given selflessly to help the most vulnerable.
Pat Nixon, for example, received the award in 2004 for his work with the poor at the Mustard Seed shelter in Calgary. Pat lived on the streets himself, and, after being helped, was able to help others.

This is the kind of person who we can all support being honoured. Hopefully, the Governor General can uphold the honour of this highest award. The representative of the Crown in Canada certainly must remain strictly neutral on political issues, especially hot-button ones like abortion and same-sex marriage.