Toronto publisher Margie Wolfe and B.C. poet Jan Zwicky among new Order of Canada appointees
The Order of Canada is considered one of Canada's highest civilian honours
Toronto publisher and editor Margie Wolfe and Heriot Bay, B.C.-based poet Jan Zwicky are among the 85 new appointees to the Order of Canada this year.
Wolfe was named to the Order of Canada for "her dedication as a leading publisher, feminist and social justice advocate in Canada's literary industry who champions inclusive and diverse publications."
As co-founder of Toronto-based publisher Second Story Press, Wolfe has spent 40 years publishing stories for children about social justice, human rights, feminism and the Holocaust.
Second Story Press is the publisher of books such as Hana's Suitcase, Names in a Jar, Under the Iron Bridge and The Promise, co-written by Wolfe and Pnina Bat Zvi.
Zwicky is an award-winning Canadian essayist, poet and author of works such as environmental and culturally aware poetry book The Long Walk and the co-authored book Learning to Die, an essay collection that examines and reflects on the natural world.
Zwicky was named to the Order of Canada for "her contributions to Canadian poetry and philosophy, and for her work as an educator and editor."
Her book Songs for Relinquishing the Earth won the Governor General's Award for poetry in 1999 and the 2011 book Forge was shortlisted for the 2012 Canadian Griffin Poetry Prize.
Announced on June 29 by Governor General Mary Simon, this year's list of appointees also includes Canada's first Indigenous female MP, the first MP for Nunavut, and a number of contributors to the arts and literature, including Montreal novelist Suzanne Aubry, Nova Scotia editor Sheldon Currie and British Columbia literature professor and educator Eva-Marie Kröller.
Considered one of Canada's highest civilian honours, the Order of Canada is meant to recognize people who make "extraordinary contributions to the nation," according to the Governor General of Canada website.
Recipients will be presented with their insignia at a later date in Ottawa, depending on their availability. Rideau Hall hosts an average of four investiture ceremonies a year.
— With files from CBC News
