CANADA 150&ME Youth Forum GUEST SPEAKERS announced

One hundred fifty participants selected as part of Canada 150&Me national competition will be travelling to one of four cities for an exciting week of educational, cultural and community activities where they will be joined by 150 youth from host cities.  The visit includes a Canada 150&Me Youth Forum based on topics young people have chosen as the most timely and relevant.

David Suzuki, Canada’s most prominent environmentalist, headlines the first Canada 150&Me Youth Forum on the Environment in Vancouver on April 5, 2017 at the Telus World of Science.

In addition to Vancouver, the following forums are scheduled. Each one will feature inspiring keynote speakers, all members of the Order of Canada. The Order celebrates its 50th anniversary of creation this year and is the newest partner to join Canada 150&Me:

• Canada 150&Me Youth Forum on Canada in the World – Tuesday, April 11 at the Centre des sciences de Montréal with Gregory Charles and Daniel Germain,

• Canada 150&Me Youth Forum on Immigration and Diversity – Tuesday, May 16 at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 in Halifax with the Honourable Chantal Petitclerc and the Honourable Ratna Omidvar,

• Canada 150&Me Youth Forum on Human Rights – Thursday, May 25  at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg with the Honourable Lloyd Axworthy

“Canada 150&Me is involving thousands of young Canadians in a conversation about Canada’s future and encouraging young people to take a leadership role in celebrating Canada’s 150th birthday,” says Deborah Morrison, President of Experiences Canada.  “Over 1100 youth – representing all parts of Canada – registered for the competition which asked them to answer the question:  ‘What is Canada’s greatest opportunity or challenge facing your generation?’  We have involved hundreds of teachers and judges.

“Now we are inviting students and teachers to attend the Forums in Vancouver, Montréal, Halifax and Winnipeg either on site or on-line so they, too, can be part of the national conversation.  What a perfect way to celebrate Canada’s sesquicentennial!”

All regional Canada 150&Me Youth Forums are free to register and are open to schools and students between the ages of 14-19.  Each forum will select 37-38 representatives from among on-site and on-line youth participants to form a leadership group of 150 young people who will travel to Ottawa, June 24 – July 2.

While in Ottawa they will work as volunteers on Canada 150 events throughout the week, as well as formally report on their discussions to government, business and community leaders at the National Youth Forum to be held at the National Art Gallery of Canada on June 26th.

Canada 150&Me is a signature Canada 150 event supported by the Government of Canada and national partners the TD Bank Group, Great West Life, the McCain Foundation and WestJet.

Experiences Canada is widely recognized as Canada’s premier service provider for student exchanges. Launched in 1936 and previously known as SEVEC, Experiences Canada arranges travel, accommodation and programs for an estimated 5,000 students who participate in reciprocal exchanges annually.

About the Order of Canada

Created in 1967, the Order of Canada, one of our country’s highest civilian honours, recognizes outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation. Close to 7 000 people from all sectors of society have been invested into the Order in the last 50 years. Their contributions are varied, yet they have all enriched the lives of others and have taken to heart the motto of the Order: DESIDERANTES MELIOREM PATRIAM (“They desire a better country”). Appointments are made by the governor general on the recommendation of the Advisory Council for the Order of Canada.

About the 50th Anniversary of the Order of Canada

Throughout the year, the Order of Canada’s 50th anniversary will be celebrated through a host of special initiatives and partnerships, such as The Walrus Talks Conversations About Canada: We Desire a Better Country, a national tour running from March 1 to May 31, 2017, and now the Canada 150&Me youth forums. To join the celebration, visit OC50.gg.ca and use the hashtag #OC50.

Keynote Speakers Bios

David Suzuki, C.C., O.B.C.

David Suzuki, Co-Founder of the David Suzuki Foundation, is an award-winning scientist, environmentalist and broadcaster. He is renowned for his radio and television programs that explain the complexities of the natural sciences in a compelling, easily understood way.

Dr. Suzuki is a geneticist. He graduated from Amherst College (Massachusetts) in 1958 with an Honours BA in Biology, followed by a Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of Chicago in 1961. He held a research associateship in the Biology Division of Tennessee’s Oak Ridge National Lab (1961 – 62), was an Assistant Professor in Genetics at the University of Alberta (1962 – 63), and since then has been a faculty member of the University of British Columbia. He is now Professor Emeritus at UBC.

For his his unwavering dedication to sustainable development, Dr. Suzuki was invested as a Companion of the Order of Canada in 2006.

Gregory Charles, O.C.

Gregory Charles is a cultural phenomenon, enjoying concurrent success as a recording artist, television personality, and concert-hall showman. Beginning in 1991, he hosted a daily radio show on Montreal station CKOI, and a year later was named host of the television game show Que le Meilleur Gagne, a position he held for five years. Charles remained rooted in music, and in 1998 backed Quebecois superstar Celine Dion on tour as a pianist and backing vocalist. In 2001, he was also awarded his own three-hour weekly radio show on Radio-Canada, a freewheeling affair spotlighting his prowess as a singer, pianist, and walking encyclopedia of musical knowledge. With 2006’s I Think of You, Charles enjoyed his greatest commercial success to date, debuting atop the Canadian pop charts.When he is not on stage he is working on multiple projects like Virtuose, a music contest that put the emphasis on his influence as an educator of young alike.

Mr. Charles was invested as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2017 for his infectious energy, creativity and dedication to ensuring that the performing arts and culture thrive in Canada and abroad.

Daniel Germain, C.M., C.Q., M.S.M.

Daniel Germain is the President and founder of the Breakfast Clubs of Canada. Mr. Germain started the Club des petits déjeuners du Québec (Quebec Breakfast Club) in 1994. This not-for-profit organization offers children in underprivileged areas a nutritious breakfast in an environment that nourishes their self-esteem. In 2005, Mr. Germain decided to take this idea nationally and started the Breakfast Clubs of Canada. In 2006, he created the Montreal Millennium Summit, which has become an important international conference in the area of social activism. In 2012, Mr. Germain started the Children’s Hour which aims to celebrate and recognize school and student successes, whatever they may be.

Mr. Germain was invested as a Member of the Order of Canada in 2010 for his dedication and commitment to improving the lives of children and youth.

The Honourable Chantal Petitclerc, C.C., Q.C., M.S.M.

The Honourable Chantal Petitclerc is not only an internationally renowned athlete, but also a compassionate person. When she was 13 years old, she lost the use of her legs in an accident. While Petitclerc was developing her skills as a wheelchair athlete, she pursued her studies, first in social sciences at the CEGEP de Sainte-Foy and then in history at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. She overcame adversity and many obstacles to become a proven leader in the sports world. Her gold medals in the Paralympic Games, Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games, the various awards and accolades she has received, and her appointment as Team Canada’s Chef de Mission for the Rio Paralympic Games are all markers of her success.

For the services to Canada, Senator Petitclerc was invested as a Companion of the Order of Canada in 2010 for her achievements as a Paralympic champion known internationally as an inspiration, and for her commitment to developing sports for athletes with a disability.

The Honourable Ratna Omidvar, C.M., O.Ont

Ratna Omidvar is an internationally recognized expert on migration, diversity and inclusion. Ms. Omidvar is the founding Executive Director and currently a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Global Diversity Exchange (GDX), Ted Rogers School of Management, Ryerson University. GDX is a think-and-do tank on diversity, migration and inclusion that connects local experience and ideas with global networks.  She is a director at the Environics Institute, Samara, the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council’s Chair Emerita and was formerly the Chair of Lifeline Syria.

Ms. Omidvar is co-author of Flight and Freedom: Stories of Escape to Canada (2015), an Open Book Toronto best book of 2015 and one of the Toronto Star‘s top five good reads from Word on the Street. In April 2016, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed her to the Senate of Canada as an independent Senator representing Ontario.

Ms. Omidvar was invested as a Member of the Order of Canada in 2012 recognizing her advocacy work on behalf of immigrants and devotion to reducing inequality in Canada.

The Honourable Lloyd Axworthy, P.C., C.C., O.M.

Lloyd Axworthy taught at the University of Winnipeg and directed its Institute of Urban Affairs before serving as a member of the Manitoba Legislative Assembly from 1973 to 1979. A Princeton-educated academic (PhD), he had been a student activist, which he attributed to his formative years and United Church roots. His distinguished political career would span 27 years, 6 in the Manitoba Legislative Assembly and 21 in the federal Parliament.

Dr. Axworthy is best known for his term as minister of foreign affairs (1996-2000) and for innovative policies that sought to make the most of limited resources following a series of government cutbacks in the mid-1990s. He was widely credited with initiating a shift in Canadian foreign policy away from preoccupations with instruments of traditional state power and territorial security and toward human security campaigns that included and mobilized civil society actors at home and abroad. His notable human security endeavours included the successful adoption in December 1997 of the Ottawa Convention banning the production, use, stockpiling and transfer of anti-personnel landmines.

Dr. Axworthy was invested as a Companion of the Order of Canada in 2017 for his principled contributions to international human rights and for his leadership in post-secondary education, particularly in support of Aboriginal students.