Today, Canada's Governor General announced new appointments to the Order of Canada, one of the highest civilian honours in the country. Among the appointees is Vancouver punk legend Art Bergmann, who is being recognized for his "indelible contributions to the Canadian punk music scene, and for his thought-provoking discourse on social, gender and racial inequalities."
Bergmann joins the rank of 61 Canadians shaping "our society; whose innovations ignite our imaginations; and whose compassion unites our communities," in 2020. Bergmann is one of 47 recipients named as a Member of the Order by the Right Honourable Julie Payette.
"It's humbling. And I want to know who did this to me," Bergmann told the CBC.
"There's a few things that have gone wrong in Canada … [and] me not having an award for my work is not one of them," he added. "Honour the treaties, give the First Nations water and housing and thank you very much, Canada — a work in progress."
Normally, Payette would issue the honorary insignias during an in-person ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, but due to the pandemic, that ceremony will need to be scheduled at a future date.
In addition to Bergmann's honour, and several notable Canadians in the arts community have been appointed to the Order, including Montreal's Ginette Noiseux, for "leading expertise in stage direction and costume design"; Toronto's Daniel John Taylor, for his "achievements as an internationally renowned opera singer"; as well as a number of Indigenous community advocates and public health officials recognized for their work during the pandemic.
See the full list of appointees here.
Bergmann joins the rank of 61 Canadians shaping "our society; whose innovations ignite our imaginations; and whose compassion unites our communities," in 2020. Bergmann is one of 47 recipients named as a Member of the Order by the Right Honourable Julie Payette.
"It's humbling. And I want to know who did this to me," Bergmann told the CBC.
"There's a few things that have gone wrong in Canada … [and] me not having an award for my work is not one of them," he added. "Honour the treaties, give the First Nations water and housing and thank you very much, Canada — a work in progress."
Normally, Payette would issue the honorary insignias during an in-person ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, but due to the pandemic, that ceremony will need to be scheduled at a future date.
In addition to Bergmann's honour, and several notable Canadians in the arts community have been appointed to the Order, including Montreal's Ginette Noiseux, for "leading expertise in stage direction and costume design"; Toronto's Daniel John Taylor, for his "achievements as an internationally renowned opera singer"; as well as a number of Indigenous community advocates and public health officials recognized for their work during the pandemic.
See the full list of appointees here.