Former Liberal prime minister Paul Martin was awarded the Governor General's highest honour Friday, as he and 43 other Canadians were invested with the Order of Canada.
Martin was the only one appointed a Companion to the Order of Canada, an honour recognizing a lifetime of outstanding achievement and "merit of the highest degree."
Martin was prime minister between 2003 and 2006 and served as finance minister in former prime minister Jean Chretien's government from 1993 until 2002.
Gov. Gen. David Johnston presided over the 10:30 a.m. event in Ottawa that saw 22 others appointed as members and 21 named as officers, including columnist and author Gwynne Dyer.
Former Ontario lieutenant governor James Bartleman was also named as an Officer to the Order.
Former federal Conservative cabinet minister Benoit Bouchard, who served in a variety of roles including minister of state in former prime minister Brian Mulroney's government, was named as a member.
"You have come from across the country and from all disciplines," Johnston said in a statement.
"You are artists and innovators. You are entrepreneurs and philanthropists. But more than that, you are all stellar examples of what Canadians can accomplish, both at home and on the world stage," he told those assembled for the ceremony.
The Order of Canada was created in 1967, during Canada's centennial year, to recognize a lifetime of outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation.
Since its creation, more than 5 000 people from all sectors of society have been invested into the Order.
