Former Vancouver Canucks star Trevor Linden was named to the Order of Canada on Thursday. (Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press)

Hockey broadcaster Howie Meeker and CBC radio personality Shelagh Rogers are among 54 appointments to the Order of Canada announced Thursday.

The Order of Canada is one of the country's highest civilian honours, awarded for service to the nation in fields such as art, sciences, philanthropy and business.

Gov. Gen. David Johnston announced 12 people had been promoted to the more prestigious honour of officer of the Order of Canada and 42 had been newly appointed as members of the Order of Canada.

Meeker, born in Kitchener, Ont., and now residing in Parksville, B.C., is cited for his contributions to hockey as a broadcaster on Hockey Night in Canada and as a coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Meeker, who served one term as a Conservative MP, also ran youth hockey camps across Canada.

Vancouver-based Rogers, currently host of CBC Radio's The Next Chapter, was formerly host of Sounds Like Canada, This Morning and The Arts Tonight. She has been named an officer of the Order of Canada for her contributions as a promoter of Canadian culture and for her volunteer work in the fields of mental health and literacy.

Montreal poet and novelist Nicole Broussard, Judge René Dussault, who presided over the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, and Halifax director and playwright Mary Vingoe are among other people named officers.

In the field of health care, Michael Hayden, a renowned geneticist who identified the genes responsible for a number of disorders, including Huntington's disease and ALS, and Anthony Edward Thomas Lang of Toronto, who advanced the therapeutics of Parkinson's disease, have also been named members of the Order of Canada.

Other sports figures to earn the honour include tennis star Daniel Nestor, swimming coach Ollie Currie and NHL star Trevor Linden. Linden was captain of the Vancouver Canucks and a member of the 1998 Olympic team.

Toronto actor Eric Peterson is cited for his contributions as a performer and writer. (Canadian Press) Paul D. Copeland is cited for his human rights activism in Burma and with Project Ploughshares, The Group of 78, Peace Brigades International and Canadian Seniors for Social Responsibility.

Arts figures Patricia Aldana, of children's publisher Groundwood Books, actor Eric Peterson and photographer Robert Bourdeau also became members.

Toronto chef Jamie Kennedy has been cited for promotion of Canadian cuisine and the use of organic, sustainable and locally sourced foods.

They will be presented with their honours at a later date.