Michael J. Fox promoted to Companion of the Order of Canada for Parkinson’s advocacy

Michael J. Fox was promoted to the companion level of the Order of Canada on Friday, the highest rank in the country’s honours system, in a ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa. CBC News reported that spectators stood and applauded as Governor General Louise Arbour formally invested the actor and Parkinson’s disease advocate, and that Rideau Hall cited his “powerful global advocacy and unflinching honesty about Parkinson’s” as the reason for the elevation.

“It’s so many things,” Fox told The Canadian Press after the ceremony, according to CBC. “But mostly it’s just growing up in Canada, loving this country, loving what it stands for and how it’s progressed and corrected course when it needed to, and stayed the course when it needed to.”

Key facts

Detail	What CBC News reported
Honour	Promotion to Companion of the Order of Canada
Where and when	Rideau Hall, Ottawa, on Friday
Presented by	Governor General Louise Arbour
Citation	“Powerful global advocacy and unflinching honesty about Parkinson’s”
Others honoured	51 people inducted into or promoted within the order on Friday

“Uniquely Canadian”

Fox, who was born in Edmonton and raised in British Columbia, spoke about the influence of his upbringing. “I picked all that up growing up. I love Canadian music, I love that Canadian content thing,” he said, per CBC. “At the end, you have a 65-year-old guy who’s uniquely Canadian because of all those things.” He also credited the country’s role in research into his condition: “Canada was one of the early proving grounds for deep brain stimulation.”

CBC noted that Fox went public with his Parkinson’s diagnosis in 1998 and has since raised funds for research while speaking candidly about living with the disease, a progressive nervous system disorder that causes tremors, stiffness and slowness and is linked to depression and memory problems.

“Back to the future has always been a much better idea”

Arbour, speaking in French, told the inductees that talent alone was not enough. “You could have used your talents solely to further your own success,” she said, according to CBC. “Instead, you have chosen to use your skills, influence and energy to help others.” She called Fox “a shining example of this” and closed with a nod to his best-known role: “After all, back to the future has always been a much better idea than forward to the past.”

Who else was honoured

Fox was among 51 people inducted into, or promoted within, the Order of Canada on Friday, CBC reported. Among them:

• Yusuf Altintas, professor of mechanical engineering at the University of British Columbia, inducted as an officer.
• Nada Jabado, a McGill University professor honoured for her work in pediatric neuro-oncology, inducted as an officer.
• Stephen Poloz, the former Bank of Canada governor, inducted as an officer for his work on international trade and economic well-being.
• Susanne Craig, the Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Globe and Mail and The Wall Street Journal, invested as a member.
• Sculptor Ruth Elsie Abernethy, inducted as a member for life-size bronze works exploring gender, heritage and nation-building.
• Colin Roswell Clarke, founder of the Toronto Youth Wind Orchestra, and Marcelle Dubois, honoured for revitalizing Quebec playwriting, both inducted as members.
• Patrick Joseph Lahey, co-founder of Triton Submarines and a leading voice for safe practices in deep diving, inducted as a member.

A long list of honours

The promotion adds to a run of recognition for Fox’s advocacy. CBC’s coverage recalled his Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Biden, his surprise appearance with Coldplay on the Glastonbury stage, and the documentary Still, in which he set out to be frank about his journey with Parkinson’s. Friday’s ceremony placed that work at the top of Canada’s own honours list.

Frequently asked questions

What honour did Michael J. Fox receive on Friday?

He was promoted to the companion level of the Order of Canada, the order’s highest rank, at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, CBC News reported.

Why was Michael J. Fox promoted within the Order of Canada?

Rideau Hall said the elevation honoured his “powerful global advocacy and unflinching honesty about Parkinson’s”, according to CBC News.

Who presented the honour?

Governor General Louise Arbour invested Fox at the ceremony, which also saw 51 people inducted into or promoted within the order, CBC News reported.