Christine Sinclair, Michael J. Fox elevated to Order of Canada's highest rank

Soccer legend Christine Sinclair and famed actor Michael J. Fox have been promoted to companions of the Order of Canada, the highest level within the order, as Governor General Louise Arbour announced 56 new Canadians appointed to the prestigious recognition on Friday, June 26.

"These appointees, from diverse backgrounds and fields, reflect the talent and determination that shape Canada's future," Arbour said in a statement. The Order of Canada recognizes people who make "extraordinary contributions to the nation."

Sinclair is widely recognized as one of Canada's most acclaimed athletes and the country's most successful soccer player. She won Olympic gold in 2020, adding to two bronze medals earned with Canada in 2012 and 2016. With nearly 190 international goals, she is the highest-scoring soccer player in the world in international competition.

Fox, one of the country's most recognized actors globally, is best known for starring in the Back to the Future trilogy and the television series Family Ties. Beyond his acting career, he has become a vocal advocate for people living with Parkinson's disease. Fox went public with his diagnosis in 1998 and is a co-founder of the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.

Other new officers appointed include Yvan Cournoyer, the former Montreal Canadiens winger nicknamed "Roadrunner," who won 10 Stanley Cups in the 1960s and 70s and the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1973. Movie producer Niv Fichman, known for films including Blackberry, Passchendaele, and Gunless, was also named an officer. Epidemiologist Dr. Caroline Quach-Thanh, who headed the National Advisory Committee on Immunization during the COVID-19 pandemic, joins them as a newly named member of the order.