The National Order of Quebec, termed officially in

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

as ''l'Ordre national du Québec'', and in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

abbreviation as the Order of Quebec, is an

order of merit The Order of Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite) is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by ...

in the

Canadian province Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British Nor ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...

. Instituted in 1984 when

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

Jean-Pierre Côté Joseph Julien Jean-Pierre Côté (January 9, 1926 – July 10, 2002) was a Canadian parliamentarian and the 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Quebec. Early life Born in Montreal, Quebec, the son of Émile Côté and Cédia Roy, he studied to be ...

granted

royal assent Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in oth ...

to the ''Loi sur l'Ordre national du Québec'' (National Order of Quebec Act), the order is administered by the

Governor-in-Council The King-in-Council or the Queen-in-Council, depending on the gender of the reigning monarch, is a constitutional term in a number of states. In a general sense, it would mean the monarch exercising executive authority, usually in the form of a ...

and is intended to honour current or former Quebec residents for conspicuous achievements in any field, being thus described as the highest honour in Quebec.

Structure and appointment

Although the National Order of Quebec was established with the granting of

by Quebec's lieutenant governor and the

Canadian sovereign The monarchy of Canada is Canada's form of government embodied by the Canadian sovereign and head of state. It is at the core of Canada's constitutional Canadian federalism, federal structure and Westminster system, Westminster-style Parliamentar ...

is the

fount of honour The fount of honour ( la, fons honorum) is a person, who, by virtue of his or her official position, has the exclusive right of conferring legitimate titles of nobility and orders of chivalry on other persons. Origin During the High Middle Age ...

, the

viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning " ...

does not, as in other provinces, form an explicit part of the organization. Instead, the monarch's representative is related to the order only by virtue of his or her place in council, collectively termed the

government of Quebec A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...

, to which the constitution of the Order of Quebec makes specific reference. The order contains three grades, each with accordant

post-nominal letters Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials, post-nominal titles, designatory letters or simply post-nominals, are letters placed after a person's name to indicate that the individual holds a position, academic degree, accreditation, ...

and place in the Canadian order of precedence for honours, decorations, and medals. They are, in descending hierarchical order: * Grand Officer (''grand officier/grande officière'') (GOQ) * Officer (''officier/officière'') (OQ) * Knight (''chevalier/chevalière'') (CQ) Nominations to the National Order of Quebec are sought in Quebec's daily and weekly media publications and are directed to the Council of the National Order of Quebec, elected by and amongst the members of the order for a period of three years and headed by a president elected by the council for two years. This body is mandated to short-list candidates and forward their suggestions to the

. Any person born, living, or who has lived in Quebec, save for anyone serving as a Member of the

National Assembly of Quebec The National Assembly of Quebec (officially in french: link=no, Assemblée nationale du Québec) is the legislative body of the province of Quebec in Canada. Legislators are called MNAs (Members of the National Assembly; french: link=no, dépu ...

, is eligible to be nominated and names may be submitted posthumously. The Cabinet may also, without the input of the Council of the National Order of Quebec, put forward the names of non-Quebecers for appointment as honorary members. Promotion through the grades is possible for both substantive and honorary members. Admission recognizes conspicuous meritorious actions that improve or support Quebec and/or its language and culture.

Insignia

Upon admission into the Order of Quebec, members are presented with various insignia of the organization—a medallion, miniature, and button. All are administered by the Regulations for the Insignia of the National Order of Quebec and were designed by

Madeleine Dansereau Madeleine Dansereau (1922 – March 20, 1991) was a Canadian artist and educator. She was the first woman jeweler in Quebec. She was also known as Madeleine Maranda-Dansereau. Dansereau was born Madeleine Maranda in Montreal and studied pai ...

, who was inspired by the

heraldic Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branc ...

elements of the provincial flag, notably the colours of blue and white used on the order's ribbon and the ''

fleur-de-lis The fleur-de-lis, also spelled fleur-de-lys (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a lily (in French, and mean 'flower' and 'lily' respectively) that is used as a decorative design or symbol. The fleur-de-lis has been used in the ...

''. The badge of a Grand Officer consists of two 18 kt

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...

plates, in the shape of a

cross A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a s ...

formed by two by arms, symmetrically superimposed atop one another 4 mm apart, the obverse face a high-polish, rusticated surface; at the lower left corner is a white enamel ''fleur-de-lis''. On the reverse of the badge is inscribed the order's motto—''Honneur au peuple du Québec'' (homage to the people of Quebec)—and a serial number at the base of the vertical bar. The badge for Officers is of a nearly identical design, but made of arms long by wide, the obverse plate in 18k gold with an applied gold ''fleur-de-lis'', and the rear in

sterling silver Sterling silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% by weight of silver and 7.5% by weight of other metals, usually copper. The sterling silver standard has a minimum millesimal fineness of 925. '' Fine silver'', which is 99.9% pure silver, i ...

. Knights have a medal with a diameter, brushed silver medallion with a symmetrically placed, etched cross with arms long by wide and filled with a highly polished, rusticated surface; a gold ''fleur-de-lis'' is mounted at the lower, left side of the cross. Each member will also receive miniature versions of their insignia, identical in appearance save for size: those for all grades being wide in each direction or in circumference. A lapel pin is also used for wear on casual civilian clothing. Male members wear their emblems suspended from a wide ribbon, at the collar for Grand Officers and Officers, and on a vertical ribbon on a medal bar on the left chest for Knights; women Grand Officers and Officers wear their insignia on a ribbon bow pinned at the left shoulder, and female Knights carry their medals in the same fashion as the men. The ribbon for miniatures is wide. The regulations of the National Order of Quebec stipulate that the premier presents new inductees with their insignia, either on the National Holiday of Quebec or another day during the National Week. The ceremony takes place in the '' Salon Rouge'' of the parliament building in

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the metropolitan area had a population of 839,311. It is t ...

, though exceptions are sometimes made when inductees cannot be present (notably for some non-Quebecer appointments). The insignia remain property of the Crown in Right of Quebec and must be returned upon a holder's cessation of membership in the society, whether by death or dismissal.

Inductees

The following are some notable appointees into the National Order of Quebec:

Quebec inductees

Grand Officer

Jean Victor Allard General Jean Victor Allard (12 June 1913 – 23 April 1996) was the first French Canadian to become Chief of the Defence Staff, the highest position in the Canadian Forces, from 1966 to 1969. He was also the first to hold the accompanying rank of ...

, Chief of the Defence Staff, appointed 1985 * Marcel Bélanger , economist, appointed 1974 *

Jean Béliveau Joseph Jean Arthur Béliveau (August 31, 1931 – December 2, 2014) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played parts of 20 seasons with the National Hockey League's (NHL) Montreal Canadiens from 1950 to 1971. Inducted into the ...

, hockey player, appointed 2010 *

Lucien Bouchard Lucien Bouchard (; born December 22, 1938) is a Canadian lawyer, diplomat and retired politician. Minister for two years in the Mulroney cabinet, Bouchard then led the emerging Bloc Québécois and became Leader of the Opposition in the Ho ...

, 27th Premier of Quebec, appointed 2008 *

Robert Bourassa Robert Bourassa (; July 14, 1933 – October 2, 1996) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd premier of Quebec from 1970 to 1976 and from 1985 to 1994. A member of the Liberal Party of Quebec, he served a total of just un ...

, 22nd Premier of Quebec, appointed posthumously 2008 * Leonard Norman Cohen , singer-songwriter, appointed 2008 * Robert Després , businessman, appointed 2003 *

Jean Drapeau Jean Drapeau, (18 February 1916 – 12 August 1999) was Mayor of Montreal from 1954 to 1957 and 1960 to 1986. Major accomplishments of the Drapeau Administration include the development of the Montreal Metro entirely underground mass trans ...

, mayor of Montreal, appointed 1987 *

Marcelle Ferron Marcelle Ferron, (January 29, 1924 – November 19, 2001), a Canadian '' Québécoise'' painter and stained glass artist, was one of the original 16 signatories of Paul-Émile Borduas's Refus global manifesto, and a major figure in the Quebec ...

, painter and stained glass artist, appointed 1992 * Gérard Filion , newspaper director, appointed 1989 *

Armand Frappier Armand Frappier (November 26, 1904 – December 17, 1991) was a physician, microbiologist, and expert on tuberculosis from Quebec, Canada. Born in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec, the son of Arthur-Alexis Frappier and Bernadette Codebecq, ...

, researcher, appointed 1985 *

Paul Gérin-Lajoie Paul Gérin-Lajoie, (; February 23, 1920 – June 25, 2018) was a Canadians, Canadian lawyer, philanthropist, and a former member of the National Assembly of Quebec and Executive Council of Quebec, Cabinet Minister. Early life Born in Montr ...

, appointed Officer in 1987 and Grand Officer in 1998 * Phil Gold , scientist, physician, appointed Officer in 1989 and Grand Officer in 2019 *

Daniel Johnson Jr. Daniel Johnson Jr. (born December 24, 1944) is a former Canadian politician. He was a member of the Liberal Party of Quebec and was the 25th premier of Quebec for nine months in 1994 until his party's defeat in the provincial general election. ...

, 25th Premier of Quebec, appointed 2008 * Pierre-Marc Johnson , 24th Premier of Quebec, appointed 2008 * Phyllis Barbara Lambert , architect and philanthropist *

Bernard Landry Bernard Landry (; March 9, 1937 – November 6, 2018) was a Canadian politician who served as the 28th premier of Quebec from 2001 to 2003. A member of the Parti Québécois (PQ), he led the party from 2001 to 2005, also serving as the leader o ...

, 28th Premier of Quebec, appointed 2008 *

Charles Philippe Leblond Charles Philippe Leblond (February 5, 1910 – April 10, 2007) was a pioneer of cell biology and stem cell research and a Canadian former professor of anatomy. Leblond is notable for developing autoradiography and his work showing how cells ...

, scientist, professor, appointed Grand Officer in 2001 *

Félix Leclerc Félix Leclerc, (August 2, 1914 – August 8, 1988) was a French-Canadian singer-songwriter, poet, writer, actor and '' Québécois'' political activist. He was made an Officer of the Order of Canada on December 20, 1968. Leclerc was posth ...

, singer-songwriter, appointed 1985 *

Jean Paul Lemieux Jean Paul Lemieux, (1904 - 1990) was one of the foremost twentieth century painters in Canada. He worked in several different styles, as represented by his five artistic periods. Biography He was born in Quebec City, where he also died. He wa ...

, painter, appointed posthumously 1997 *

René Lévesque René Lévesque (; August 24, 1922 – November 1, 1987) was a Québécois politician and journalist who served as the 23rd premier of Quebec from 1976 to 1985. He was the first Québécois political leader since Confederation to attemp ...

, 23rd Premier of Quebec, appointed posthumously 2008 * Martin Brian Mulroney , 18th Prime Minister of Canada, appointed 2002 *

Alanis Obomsawin Alanis Obomsawin, (born August 31, 1932) is an Abenaki American Canadian filmmaker, singer, artist, and activist primarily known for her documentary films. Born in New Hampshire, United States and raised primarily in Quebec, Canada, she has wri ...

, filmmaker, First Nations activist, appointed 2016 *

Jacques Parizeau Jacques Parizeau (; August 9, 1930June 1, 2015) was a Canadian politician and Québécois economist who was a noted Quebec sovereigntist and the 26th premier of Quebec from September 26, 1994, to January 29, 1996. Early life and career Pariz ...

, 26th Premier of Quebec, appointed 2008 * Jean-Paul Riopelle , painter, appointed Officer in 1988 and Grand Officer in 1994 *

Jean Vanier Jean Vanier (, September 10, 1928 – May 7, 2019) was a Canadian Catholic philosopher and theologian. In 1964, he founded L'Arche, an international federation of communities spread over 37 countries for people with developmental disabilities a ...

, philanthropist, theologian, founder of

L'Arche L'Arche is an international federation of non-profits working to create networks of community where people with and without intellectual disabilities live and work together. Founded in 1964 by Jean Vanier, Raphaël Simi, and Philip Seux, L'Ar ...

, appointed 1992 *

Gilles Vigneault Gilles Vigneault (; born 27 October 1928) is a Canadian poet, publisher, singer-songwriter, and Quebec nationalist and sovereigntist. Two of his songs are considered by many to be Quebec's unofficial anthems: " Mon pays" and " Gens du pays", ...

, singer-songwriter, appointed Knight in 1985 and Grand Officer in 2000

Officer

Laurent Beaudoin Laurent Robert Beaudoin (; born May 13, 1938) is a Canadian businessman from Quebec. From 1979 to 2003, he was the CEO of the transportation company Bombardier. Early life Beaudoin was born in Laurier Station, Quebec. In 1959, while studying a ...

, businessman appointed 1990 *

Francesco Bellini Francesco Bellini, (; born November 20, 1947) is an Italian-born research scientist, administrator, entrepreneur and Quebecer business man. A pioneer scientist-entrepreneur for Canadian bio-pharmaceutical industry, he was co-founder of Bioche ...

, research scientist and entrepreneur, appointed 2004 *

Daniel Borsuk Daniel Evan Borsuk (born January 19, 1978) is a Canadian plastic surgeon in Montreal, Quebec, who is a pioneer in facial reconstruction. The first Canadian face transplant was performed under his leadership. He is also an advocate for pet s ...

, plastic surgeon, appointed 2019 *

Michel Brault Michel Brault, OQ (25 June 1928 – 21 September 2013) was a Canadian cinematographer, cameraman, film director, screenwriter, and film producer. He was a leading figure of Direct Cinema, characteristic of the French branch of the National ...

, filmmaker, appointed 2003 *

Boris Brott Boris Brott, (March 14, 1944 – April 5, 2022) was a Canadian conductor and motivational speaker. He was one of the most internationally recognized Canadian conductors, having conducted on stages around the world, including Carnegie Hall and ...

, conductor, appointed 2014 *

Solange Chaput-Rolland Solange Chaput-Rolland, (May 14, 1919 – November 1, 2001) was a Canadian journalist, author, lecturer, politician, and Senator. Born in Montreal, the daughter of Émile Chaput and Rosalie Loranger, she received her education from the Cou ...

, appointed 1985 * Jean Coutu , businessman, appointed 1993 *

Bernard Derome Bernard Derome, Order of Canada, CM, National Order of Quebec, OQ (born January 10, 1944) is a Canadian broadcaster, who was news anchor for the weeknight editions of ''Le Téléjournal'' on Ici Radio-Canada Télé, Radio-Canada until December 18, ...

, news anchor, appointed 2006 *

Céline Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

, singer, appointed 1998 * Léon Dion , author, teacher, intellectual, appointed 1990 *

Fernand Dumont Fernand Dumont (24 June 1927 – 1 May 1997) was a Canadian sociologist, philosopher, theologian, and poet from Quebec.Denise Filiatrault Denise Filiatrault, (born May 16, 1931) is a Canadian actress and director. Biography Filiatrault attained star status on TV in the 1960s, co-starring with Dominique Michel in the Radio-Canada television series '' Moi et l'autre'' (1967–71) ...

, playwright, actor, appointed 2000 *

Anne Hébert Anne Hébert (pronounced in French) (August 1, 1916 – January 22, 2000), was a Canadian author and poet. She won Canada's top literary honor, the Governor General's Award, three times, twice for fiction and once for poetry. Early life Hébe ...

, writer, appointed 1985 *

Larkin Kerwin John Larkin Kerwin (June 22, 1924 – May 1, 2004) was a Canadian physicist. Born in Quebec City, he studied physics at St. Francis Xavier University and obtained his master's degree in physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. H ...

, physicist, appointed 1988 *

Lucia Kowaluk Lucia may refer to: Arts and culture * ''Lucía'', a 1968 Cuban film by Humberto Solás * ''Lucia'' (film), a 2013 Kannada-language film * '' Lucia & The Best Boys'', a Scottish indie rock band formerly known as ''LUCIA'' * "Lucia", a Swedish c ...

, community activist, appointed 2014 *

Louis Laberge Joseph Léo Louis Laberge, (February 18, 1924 – July 18, 2002) was a Quebec labour union leader. He served as president of the Fédération des travailleurs du Québec (Quebec Federation of Labour) from 1964 until 1991. In 1988, he was ma ...

, union leader, appointed 1988 *

Normand Laprise Normand Laprise {{Post-nominals, country=CAN, CM, CQ (born 1961) is a Québécois (word), Quebecer chef and author. He is the owner and head chef of ''Toqué!'' and ''Brasserie T!'' in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Early life and education Normand La ...

, chef and author, appointed 2009 *

Robert Lepage Robert Lepage (born December 12, 1957) is a Canadian playwright, actor, film director, and stage director. Early life Lepage was raised in Quebec City. At age five, he was diagnosed with a rare form of alopecia, which caused complete hair l ...

, playwright, filmmaker, appointed 1999 *

Monique F. Leroux Monique F. Leroux CM OQ (born August 11, 1954 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian businesswoman. From 2008 to 2016, she was chair of the Board and chief executive officer of Desjardins Group. A Companion of the Canadian Business Hall of Fame a ...

, businesswoman, appointed 2012 * Jean-Louis Lévesque , entrepreneur, philanthropist, appointed 1991 *

André Melançon André Melançon (February 18, 1942 - August 23, 2016) was a Canadian actor, screenwriter and film director, best known for directing and writing several installments in the Tales for All series of children's films. Career The versatile André M ...

OQ, actor, screenwriter and film director, appointed 2013 *

Gaston Miron Gaston Miron (; 8 January 1928 – 14 December 1996) was an important poet, writer, and editor of Quebec's Quiet Revolution. His classic ''L'homme rapaillé'' (partly translated as ''The March to Love: Selected Poems of Gaston Miron'', whose ...

, poet, appointed 1996 *

Ted Moses Ted Moses, (born 1950) is a Cree politician from Eastmain, a small remote village in northern Quebec, Canada. He is a former Grand Chief of the Grand Council of the Crees. In addition, Mr. Moses is a recipient of the title of "Officer" of the ...

, aboriginal chief, appointed 2002 *

Lise Payette Lise Payette ( Ouimet; August 29, 1931 – September 5, 2018) was a Canadian politician, journalist, writer, and businesswoman. She was a Parti Québécois (PQ) minister under the leadership of Premier René Lévesque and National Assembly of ...

, politician, writer, appointed 2001 * Pierre Péladeau businessman, appointed 1989 *

Louise Penny Louise Penny is a Canadian author of mystery novels set in the Canadian province of Quebec centred on the work of francophone Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec. Penny's first career was as a radio broadcaster for the C ...

, author, appointed 2017 *

Hubert Reeves Hubert Reeves (born July 13, 1932), is a Canadian astrophysicist and popularizer of science. Early life and education Reeves was born in Montreal on July 13, 1932, and as a child lived in Léry. Reeves attended Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf, a ...

, astrophysicist, appointed 1994 *

Maurice Richard Joseph Henri Maurice "Rocket" Richard (; ; August 4, 1921 – May 27, 2000) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens. He was the first player in NHL hist ...

, hockey player, appointed 1985 *

Mary Simon Mary Jeannie May Simon (in Inuktitut syllabics: ᒥᐊᓕ ᓴᐃᒪᓐ, iu, script=Latn, Ningiukudluk; born August 21, 1947) is a Canadian civil servant, diplomat, and former broadcaster who has served as the 30th governor general of Canada ...

, Governor General of Canada, appointed 1992 *

Mary Two-Axe Earley Mary Two-Axe Earley (born Mary Two-Axe; October 4, 1911 – August 21, 1996) was a Mohawk and Oneida women's rights activist from the reserve of Kahnawake in Quebec, Canada. After losing her legal Indian status due to marrying a non-status ...

, women's rights activist, appointed 1985 * Jacques Villeneuve , racing driver, appointed 1998

Knight

Jacques Amyot Jacques Amyot (; 30 October 15136 February 1593), French Renaissance bishop, scholar, writer and translator, was born of poor parents, at Melun. Biography Amyot found his way to the University of Paris, where he supported himself by serving som ...

, long-distance swimmer, appointed 2001 *

Denys Arcand Georges-Henri Denys Arcand (; born June 25, 1941) is a French Canadian film director, screenwriter and producer. His film ''The Barbarian Invasions'' won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in 2004. His films have also been nominated three f ...

, filmmaker, appointed 1990 * Frédéric Back , animator, appointed 1989 *

Alice Benjamin Alice Benjamin (born 9 September 1945, Piravom, India) is a Canadian specialist in fetal and maternal medicine. Education She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Kerala (1964) and a doctorate in medicine from the University ...

, appointed 1993 *

Sylvie Bernier Sylvie Bernier, CM, CQ (born January 31, 1964) is an Olympic athlete from Sainte-Foy, Quebec, Canada. She won the gold medal in the Women's 3m Springboard Diving at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Bernier announced her retirement fr ...

, Olympic diver, appointed 1985 *

Ferdinand Biondi Ferdinand Biondi, (1909 – September 5, 1998) was a French Canadian radio broadcaster. In 1936, he joined the Montreal radio station CKAC, where he would hold the positions of announcer, editor, producer, special programming director, sen ...

, radio broadcaster, appointed 1985 *

Neil Bissoondath Neil Devindra Bissoondath (born April 19, 1955, in Arima, Trinidad and Tobago) is a Trinidadian-Canadian author who lives in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. He is a noted writer of fiction. He is an outspoken critic of Canada's system of multicultur ...

, author, appointed 2010 *

Denise Bombardier Denise Bombardier, (born January 18, 1941 in Montreal, Quebec) is a journalist, essayist, novelist and media personality who worked for the French-language television station Radio-Canada for over 30 years. Bombardier is noted for her stan ...

, journalist, appointed 2000 *

Claire Bonenfant Claire Bonenfant (27 June 1925 – 29 September 1996) was a Canadian politician and champion of feminist rights. A Chevalier of the Ordre national du Québec, Bonenfant was president of the Quebec Status of Women Council. The University of Laval's ...

, president of the Quebec Status of Women Council, appointed 1991 *

Émile Bouchard Joseph Émile Alcide Bouchard, CM, CQ (4 September 1919 – 14 April 2012) was a Canadian ice hockey player who played defence with the Montreal Canadiens in the National Hockey League from 1941 to 1956. He is a member of the Hockey Hall ...

, hockey player, appointed 2008 *

Gaétan Boucher Gaétan T. Boucher, (born May 10, 1958), is a Canadian former speed skating Olympic champion. Biography Boucher first trained in ice hockey, the leading sport in Canada but then changed to speed skating after winning a national title in 1972. ...

, speed skater, appointed 1985 * Isabelle Boulay , singer, appointed 2012 * Pierre Bourque , mayor of Montreal, appointed 1993 *

Françoise David Françoise David (born January 13, 1948) is a former spokesperson of Québec solidaire – a left-wing, feminist, and sovereigntist political party in the province of Quebec, Canada. She was elected to serve as the Member of the National Ass ...

, social and feminist activist, appointed 1999 *

Yvon Deschamps Yvon Deschamps (born July 31, 1935, in Montreal, Quebec) is a Quebec author, actor, comedian and producer best known for his monologues. His social-commentary-tinged humour propelled him to prominence in Quebec popular culture in the 1970s and 1 ...

, comedian, appointed 2001 *

Jean Duceppe Jean Hotte-Duceppe (1923–1990) was a stage and television actor from Montreal, Quebec. Born on 25 October 1923 to a family of local shopkeepers in working-class Montreal, Jean Duceppe came to the theatre with no formal training and was compl ...

, actor, appointed 1985 *

Diane Dufresne Diane Dufresne, (born 30 September 1944) is a French Canadian singer and painter, and is known for singing a large repertoire of popular Quebec songs. Dufresne was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She lived in Paris from 1965 to 1967 where ...

, singer and painter, appointed 2002 *

Laurent Duvernay-Tardif Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (; born February 11, 1991) is a Canadian football guard for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played university football and attended medical school at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, be ...

, NFL player, appointed 2019 *

Gad Elmaleh Gad Elmaleh ( ar, جاد المالح, Latn, ar, Gād el-Māleḥ; born 19 April 1971) is a Moroccan-Canadian stand-up comedian and actor who achieved fame in France, Morocco and the United States. He is best known in the French-speaking wor ...

, comedian, appointed 2017 *

Marc Favreau Marc Favreau (Sol), (November 9, 1929 – December 17, 2005) was a Quebecois television and film actor and poet. Favreau began his television career as a regular on ''La Boîte à surprise'', a long-running children's television show on Radio-C ...

, actor, appointed 1995 *

Jean-Pierre Ferland Jean-Pierre Ferland, (born June 24, 1934, in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. Life and career Ferland began work with Radio-Canada in 1956 as an accountant, but his career there was short lived. Shortly after, he began ...

, singer-songwriter *

Madeleine Ferron Madeleine Ferron (July 24, 1922 – February 27, 2010) was a Canadian writer. Biography She was born in Louiseville, Quebec. She began her early studies with the Sisters of Saint Anne, continuing at the Université de Montréal and Universit ...

, writer, appointed 1992 *

Daniel Germain Daniel Germain, (born 1964) is a Canadian philanthropist. He is president and founder of the Breakfast Club of Canada, a Canadian charity that promotes and assists the establishment and maintenance of school breakfast programs in Canada."Realizi ...

, philanthropist, appointed 1997 *

Jacques Godbout Jacques Godbout, OC, CQ (born November 27, 1933) is a Canadian novelist, essayist, children's writer, journalist, filmmaker and poet. By his own admission a bit of a dabbler (''touche-à-tout''), Godbout has become one of the most important wri ...

, writer and filmmaker, appointed 1998 * Marc-André Hamelin , pianist * Otto Joachim , composer, musician, painter, appointed 1993 * Roland-Benoît Jomphe , poet, appointed 1987 * Oliver Theophilus Jones , pianist, organist, composer and arranger, appointed 1994 *

Pauline Julien Pauline Julien, (May 23, 1928October 1, 1998), nicknamed "La Renarde", was a singer, songwriter, actress, feminist activist and Quebec sovereigntist. Born in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Julien was the companion of the poet and Québec provincial ...

, singer-songwriter, appointed 1997 *

Marie-Claire Kirkland-Casgrain Marie-Claire Kirkland-Casgrain, (September 8, 1924 – March 24, 2016) was a Quebec lawyer, judge and politician. She was the first woman elected to the Legislative Assembly of Quebec, the first woman appointed a Cabinet minister in Quebec, t ...

, appointed 1985 * Françoise Labbé , artist, appointed 1997 *

Jacques Lacombe Jacques Lacombe, (born July 14, 1963 in Cap-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec) is a Canadian conductor. Lacombe began his musical learning with choral singing. He later trained as an organist, and continued his studies at the Conservatoire de musique d ...

, conductor, appointed 2012 *

Jacques Lacoursière Jacques Lacoursière, (4 May 1932 – 1 June 2021) was a Canadian TV host, author and historian. Life and career Lacoursière was born in Shawinigan, in the Mauricie region, and then resided in Beauport in the Greater Quebec area. Lacoursi� ...

, historian, appointed 2002 *

Guy Lafleur Guy Damien Lafleur (September 20, 1951 – April 22, 2022), nicknamed "the Flower" and "Le Démon Blond", was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He was the first player in National Hockey League (NHL) history to score 50 goals in six c ...

, hockey player, appointed 2005 *

Guy Laliberté Guy Laliberté, (born 2 September 1959) is a Canadian billionaire businessman, and poker player. Along with Gilles Ste-Croix, he is the co-founder of Cirque du Soleil. In January 2018, Laliberté was ranked by ''Forbes'' as the 11th wealthiest ...

, appointed 1997 *

Mario Lemieux Mario Lemieux (; ; born October 5, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played parts of 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Pittsburgh Penguins between 1984 and 2006, and he assumed ownership of the ...

, hockey player, appointed 2009 *

Michel Lemieux Michel Lemieux (born February 13, 1959, in Indianapolis, Indiana) is a Canadian multimedia artist from Quebec, whose career has incorporated work in theatrical design, installation art, film, video, dance and music."'Technology is a tool' to art ...

, performance artist and theatre director, appointed 2014 * Édouard Lock , dancer, appointed 2001 * Louis Lortie , pianist, appointed 1998 *

Norman McLaren William Norman McLaren, LL. D. (11 April 1914 – 27 January 1987) was a Scottish Canadian animator, director and producer known for his work for the National Film Board of Canada (NFB).Rosenthal, Alan. ''The new documentary in action: a caseb ...

, animator and filmmaker, appointed 1985 *

Julie Payette Julie Payette (; born October 20, 1963) is a Canadian engineer, scientist and former astronaut who served from 2017 to 2021 as Governor General of Canada, the 29th since Canadian Confederation. Payette holds engineering degrees from McGill ...

, astronaut, appointed 2000 *

Oscar Peterson Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian virtuoso jazz pianist and composer. Considered one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, ...

, jazz musician, appointed 1991 *

Chantal Petitclerc Chantal Petitclerc (born December 15, 1969) is a Canadian wheelchair racer and a Senator from Quebec. Early life At the age of 13, Petitclerc lost the use of both legs in an accident when at a friend's farm, a heavy barn door fell on her, fra ...

, wheelchair athlete, Canadian senator, appointed 2005 * Samuel Pierre, professor, appointed 20

*

Victor Pilon Victor Pilon, (born on March 19, 1958) is a director, theatre designer, visual designer and photographer from Quebec, Canada. Life and career After a two-year stay in Europe, Pilon enrolled in visual arts at the University of Ottawa. In 1983, ...

, director, theatre designer, visual designer and photographer, appointed 2014 *

Luc Plamondon Luc Plamondon, OC, CQ (b. March 2, 1942 in Saint-Raymond, Quebec), is a French-Canadian lyricist and music executive. He is best known for his work on the musicals ''Starmania'' and ''Notre-Dame de Paris''. He is the brother of Louis Plamon ...

, songwriter, appointed 1990 *

Jean-Louis Roux Jean-Louis Roux, (May 18, 1923 – November 28, 2013) was a Canadian politician, entertainer and playwright who was briefly the 26th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec. Biography Born in Montreal, Quebec, he originally studied medicine at the Univ ...

, actor and Lieutenant Governor of Quebdec, appointed 1989 *

Hubert Sacy Hubert Sacy is a social communications specialist and public figure known for his work in behavioral prevention and education. Since 1990, he had been Director General of Éduc'alcool, an independent, not-for-profit organization from which he has ...

, General manager of Éduc’alcool, appointed 2010 * Pierre Théberge , Museum director * :fr:Michèle Thibodeau-DeGuire , engineer, appointed in 2005 *

Michel Tremblay Michel Tremblay (born 25 June 1942) is a French-Canadian novelist and playwright. Tremblay was born in Montreal, Quebec, where he grew up in the French-speaking neighbourhood of Plateau Mont-Royal; at the time of his birth, a neighbourhood wi ...

, playwright and author, appointed 1991 *

Alain Trudel Alain Trudel (born 13 June 1966) is a Canadian conductor, trombonist and composer. Biography Born in Montreal, Quebec, Trudel first became known to the public as a trombone soloist. He made his solo debut at the age of 18, with Charles Dutoit a ...

, conductor and trombonist, appointed 2019 * Jesús Carles de Vilallonga , painter, appointed 2011 *

Denis Villeneuve Denis Villeneuve (; born October 3, 1967) is a Canadian filmmaker. He is a four-time recipient of the Canadian Screen Award (formerly Genie Award) for Best Direction, winning for '' Maelström'' in 2001, '' Polytechnique'' in 2009, ''Incendies ...

, director and screenwriter, appointed in 2019 *

Paul Zumthor Paul Zumthor, (5 August 1915 – 11 January 1995) was a medievalist, literary historian, and linguist. He was a Swiss from Geneva. Biography He studied in Paris with Gustave Cohen and worked on French etymology with Walther von Wartburg. In s ...

, medievalist and literary historian, appointed 1992

Non-Quebec inductees

Honorary Grand Officer

Charles Dutoit Charles Édouard Dutoit (born 7 October 1936) is a Swiss conductor. He is currently the principal guest conductor for the Saint Petersburg Philharmonia and co-director of thMISA Festival in Shanghai In 2017, he became the 103rd recipient of thR ...

, conductor, appointed 1995 *

François Hollande François Gérard Georges Nicolas Hollande (; born 12 August 1954) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2012 to 2017. He previously was First Secretary of the Socialist Party (France), First Secretary of the Socialist P ...

President of France The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (french: Président de la République française), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency i ...

, appointed 2014

Honorary Officer

Raymond Barre Raymond Octave Joseph Barre (; 12 April 192425 August 2007) was a French centre-right politician and economist. He was a Vice President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs under three presidents (Rey, ...

Prime Minister of France The prime minister of France (french: link=no, Premier ministre français), officially the prime minister of the French Republic, is the head of government of the French Republic and the leader of the Council of Ministers. The prime minister i ...

, appointed 1986 *

Jacques Chirac Jacques René Chirac (, , ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a Politics of France, French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. Chirac was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to ...

, President of France, appointed 1987 *

Jim Douglas James Holley Douglas (born June 21, 1951) is an American politician from the state of Vermont. A Republican, he served the 80th governor of Vermont from 2003 to 2011. On August 27, 2009, Douglas announced that he would not seek re-election fo ...

Governor of Vermont The governor of Vermont is the head of government of Vermont. The officeholder is elected in even-numbered years by direct voting for a term of 2 years. Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold gubernatorial elections every ...

, appointed 2010 *

Michel Drucker Michel Drucker, CQ (born 12 September 1942 in Vire) is a popular French journalist and TV host. He has been on screen for so long on various shows and different networks, both public and private, that he once said that some people joked that h ...

, television host, appointed Knight 2001, Officer 2010 *

Laurent Fabius Laurent Fabius (; born 20 August 1946) is a French politician serving as President of the Constitutional Council since 8 March 2016. A member of the Socialist Party, he previously served as Prime Minister of France from 17 July 1984 to 20 Mar ...

, Prime Minister of France, appointed 1986 *

Lionel Jospin Lionel Robert Jospin (; born 12 July 1937) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 1997 to 2002. Jospin was First Secretary of the Socialist Party from 1995 to 1997 and the party's candidate for President of France in ...

, Prime Minister of France, appointed 1998 *

Alain Juppé Alain Marie Juppé (; born 15 August 1945) is a French politician. A member of The Republicans, he was Prime Minister of France from 1995 to 1997 under President Jacques Chirac, during which period he faced major strikes that paralysed the cou ...

, Prime Minister of France, appointed 1996 *

Antonine Maillet Antonine Maillet, (; born May 10, 1929) is an Acadian novelist, playwright, and scholar. She was born in Bouctouche, New Brunswick, Canada."Antonine Maillet." ''Paroles d'Acadie : Anthologie de la littérature acadienne (1958-2009)'', edited by ...

Acadian The Acadians (french: Acadiens , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most Acadians live in the region of Acadia, as it is the region where the desc ...

writer and playwright, appointed 1990 *

Nana Mouskouri Ioanna "Nana" Mouskouri ( el, Ιωάννα "Νάνα" Μούσχουρη ) (born 13 October 1934) is a Greek singer. Over the span of her career, she has released over 200 albums in at least twelve languages, including Greek, French, English, Germ ...

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

singer, appointed 2013 *

Alain Peyrefitte Alain Peyrefitte (; 26 August 1925 – 27 November 1999) was a French scholar and politician. He was a confidant of Charles de Gaulle and had a long career in public service, serving as a diplomat in Germany and Poland. Peyrefitte is remembered ...

, FrenCch politician, appointed 1998 *

Jordi Pujol Jordi Pujol Soley (, born 9 June 1930) is a Catalan politician who was the leader of the party Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya (CDC) from 1974 to 2003, and President of the Generalitat de Catalunya from 1980 to 2003. Early life Pujol was ...

President of the Generalitat of Catalonia The President of the Government of Catalonia ( ca, President de la Generalitat de Catalunya, ) is one of the bodies that the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia stipulates as part of the Generalitat de Catalunya, others being the Parliament, the ...

, appointed 1996 *

Jean-Pierre Raffarin Jean-Pierre Raffarin (; born 3 August 1948) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 6 May 2002 to 31 May 2005. He resigned after France's rejection of the referendum on the European Union draft constitution. Howev ...

, Prime Minister of France, appointed 2003 *

Michel Rocard Michel Rocard (; 23 August 1930 – 2 July 2016) was a French politician and a member of the Socialist Party (PS). He served as Prime Minister under François Mitterrand from 1988 to 1991 during which he created the ''Revenu minimum d'ins ...

, Prime Minister of France, appointed 2000 *

Philippe Séguin Philippe Séguin (21 April 1943 – 7 January 2010) was a French political figure who was President of the National Assembly from 1993 to 1997 and President of the Cour des Comptes of France from 2004 to 2010. He entered the Court of Financi ...

, President of the

French National Assembly The National Assembly (french: link=no, italics=set, Assemblée nationale; ) is the lower house of the bicameral French Parliament under the Fifth Republic, the upper house being the Senate (). The National Assembly's legislators are kn ...

, appointed 2000 *

Edmund Stoiber Edmund Rüdiger Stoiber (born 28 September 1941) is a German politician who served as the 16th Minister President of the state of Bavaria between 1993 and 2007 and chairman of the Christian Social Union (CSU) between 1999 and 2007. In 2002, he ...

, Minister-President of

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...

, appointed 2003 *

Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga (born 1 December 1937) is a Latvian politician who served as the sixth President of Latvia from 1999 to 2007. She is the first woman to hold the post. She was elected President of Latvia in 1999 and re-elected for the seco ...

President of Latvia The president of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Valsts prezidents ) is head of state and commander-in-chief of the National Armed Forces of the Republic of Latvia. The term of office is four years. Before 1999, it was three years. The president may be ...

, appointed 2006

Honorary Knight

David Azrieli David Joshua Azrieli, ( he, דוד יהושע עזריאלי; 10 May 1922 – 9 July 2014) was an Israeli-Canadian real estate tycoon, developer, designer, architect, and philanthropist. With an estimated net worth of US$3.1 billion as of ...

, architect, appointed 1999 *

Gérard Depardieu Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu, CQ (, , ; born 27 December 1948) is a French actor, filmmaker, businessman and vineyard owner since 1989 who is one of the most prolific thespians in film history having completed over 250 films since 1967 al ...

, actor, appointed 2002 * Bernard Pivot , television host, appointed 2001

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:National Order of Quebec Provincial and territorial orders of Canada ! Quebec awards 1984 establishments in Quebec