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163-457: Facilities provided by the club include a clubhouse, tennis courts, nature trail, and pool. Social activities include holiday buffets and barbecues, sailing lessons and camps, family and children's activities. Dockage is available for both power and sailboats. The clubhouse incorporates a dining room, bar, lounge, locker rooms, and a children's club annex. The east side of Mugg's Island is a bird sanctuary. The 7,600-square-foot (710 m) clubhouse

326-530: A Maclean's columnist, where the other writers such as Robert Fulford and Peter Gzowski wanted to have him fired because the often frivolous and trivial nature of his columns were felt to be embarrassing. In May 1963, Berton was fired from Maclean's for a column he wrote entitled "Let's Stop Hoaxing the Kids About Sex", where he wrote that he would not object if his teenage daughters engaged in premarital sex, saying he hoped that they had enough wisdom to use

489-453: A lapel pin may be worn, which is a miniature version of the recipient's badge and thus is distinct for each grade. Wear of the insignia is according to guidelines issued by the Chancellery of Honours, which stipulate that the badges be worn before most other national orders, that is, at the end of an individual's medal bar closest to the centre of the chest or at the wearer's neck, with only

652-506: A "banana republic". Berton's interview with Trudeau is credited with first introducing him to an English-Canadian audience. Berton was able to persuade famous people to appear on his television show; in September 1964, during a visit to London, Berton interviewed the philosopher Bertrand Russell , the actress Vivien Leigh , the singer Noël Coward and the actor Douglas Fairbanks Jr. In November 1964, Berton devoted an episode of his show to

815-524: A "raw deal" from the rest of Canada, but went on to denounce Quebec separatism. Trudeau stated that the FLQ's claims that Quebec's situation was analogous to Algeria under French rule (with the FLQ playing the same role as the FLN ) was nonsense; he said that French-Canadians like himself had nothing remotely like the status of Algerian Muslims under French rule. Trudeau stated that if Quebec became independent, it would be

978-560: A Canadian national identity. Though Berton's nationalist interpretation of the War of 1812 was not accepted by most historians it certainly appealed to the Canadian public and his books dealing with the War of 1812 sold very well. In his 1984 book The Promised Land , he covered the settlement of the Prairie provinces in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Pierre set out to debunk the heroic image of

1141-606: A Catholic anti-abortion activist, filed suit against the Order of Canada Advisory Council, demanding that the minutes of the meeting relating to Morgentaler be made public. The appointment of Morgentaler prompted former Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) Clifford Lincoln to write that the workings of the Advisory Council were "mysterious", citing what he theorized to be inbuilt partiality and conflict of interest as reasons why Margaret Somerville , whom Lincoln had twice nominated to

1304-500: A Chinese raid that began with the line "Killed in their sleeping bags with their boots on" to instead say that the 60 American soldiers were heroically killed in battle resisting the Chinese raid. Berton came to deeply dislike the censorship that he was faced during the Korean war, complaining that he was writing reports that were full of lies and half-truths. Despite agreeing to the requests of

1467-528: A Christmas special on his TV show from his home in Kleinburg, covering his family's celebration of Christmas. In 1965, Berton published a best-selling book, The Comfortable Pew , which was quite critical of the Anglican Church, whose teachings Berton condemned as sanctimonious, conformist, submissive to power, and hypocritical with respect to sexuality and other social issues. Within weeks of its publication,

1630-507: A Companion because he felt that, as a self-proclaimed Father of Confederation , he deserved a knighthood. Smallwood was never knighted and later accepted induction as a Companion. Resignations from the order can take place only through prescribed channels, which include the member submitting to the Secretary General of the Order of Canada a letter notifying the chancellery of his or her desire to terminate their membership, and only with

1793-413: A Member stirred controversy among some of Canada's Christian organizations, as Johanson had taught teenagers methods of safe sex alongside abstinence. Similarly, the acceptance of birth control advocate Elizabeth Bagshaw and gay rights campaigner Brent Hawkes also incited debate. Abortion-rights activist Henry Morgentaler's appointment to the order on 1 July 2008 not only marked the first time

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1956-495: A background in university Canadian Officers' Training Corps (COTC) and inspired by other citizen-soldiers who had been commissioned, he sought training as an officer. Berton spent the next several years attending a variety of military courses, becoming, in his words, the most highly trained officer in the military. He was warned for overseas duty many times, and was granted embarkation leave many times, each time finding his overseas draft being cancelled. A coveted trainee slot with

2119-461: A better country." Each of the six to eight hundred nominations submitted each year, by any person or organization, is received by the order's Advisory Council, which, along with the governor general, makes the final choice of new inductees, typically by consensus rather than a vote; a process that, when conceived, was the first of its kind in the world. Appointees are then accepted into the organization at an investiture ceremony typically conducted by

2282-577: A comfortable bed instead of a dingy backseat of a car. The column, which was intended as a criticism of sexualized advertising as Berton contended that teenage sex was the logical consequence of sexualized marketing, provoked national outrage and led to calls for a boycott of Maclean's if Berton continued to write. Berton always felt that being fired was unjustified, especially because the editors of Maclean's had wanted him to write provocative columns about contemporary issues to boost circulation. In 1963, Berton received death threats when an episode about

2445-568: A dislike for the U.S. Army, whose mostly white and middle-class officers he charged were callous in their treatment of their own soldiers, especially if they were black or Hispanic. Berton was to later to write in the 1990s that all of the problems that the U.S. Army had experienced during the Vietnam war such as morale issues, racial tensions, drug use, and a wide gap between officers and the other ranks he had seen first-hand in Korea, led to his conclusion that

2608-497: A five-part series called The Indian Revolution , about the emerging Red Power movement. One of the episodes, The Rape of the Languages , featured an early expose of the residential schools . Berton interviewed several First Nations people in support of his thesis that indigenous peoples had been "beaten, starved, and otherwise punished by church and federal schools". The choice of guests and themes that season reflected what had become

2771-454: A great victory that saw all the four divisions of the Canadian corps fight together for the first time to achieve what had been considered an impossible task, namely to take the heavily fortified Vimy ridge that towered about the Douai plain, but the victory were not worth the sacrifices of thousands of young men who were either killed or wounded. Berton noted that 1 out of 10 Canadians who stormed up

2934-538: A host of the most watched and enduring television interview program of its era; a muckraking journalist in the age of the consumer; a left-wing critic of North American society; a popular and respected historian of nation and empire in North America; a collector of the kind of folklore that serves as the first draft of history; a folksy, story-telling humorist of nostalgic bent—was or is a man of exceptional accomplishment in his own area. The magnitude of Berton's achievement

3097-610: A key member of the CBC 's public affairs flagship program, Close-Up , and a permanent panelist on the popular television show Front Page Challenge . That same year, he also narrated the Academy Award -nominated National Film Board of Canada documentary City of Gold , exploring life in his hometown of Dawson City during the Klondike Gold Rush . He then released an album in conjunction with Folkways Records , entitled The Story of

3260-664: A mass audience. For his first book, his subject was the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) in the 19th century, which he intended as a national epic. Berton wanted to give the struggle to build the CPR a role analogous to that of the Revolutionary War in American memory, as the founding national epic. In this regard, Berton acknowledged the importance of Confederation in 1867, but argued that Canada did not truly become

3423-452: A nation until the CPR was completed in 1885. Berton defined the building of the railroad as a struggle of man against nature, seeing it as a triumph of human ingenuity and willpower, as the builders defeated the harsh landscape of northern Ontario, the seemingly endless Prairies, and the imposing Rocky Mountains. In the spring of 1968, Berton began his research for his railroad saga, which became The National Dream and The Last Spike . Before

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3586-762: A parcel of land on Muggs Island – 250 feet (76 m) deep by 600 feet (180 m) along the water – was negotiated with the City of Toronto government . On October 16, 1951 an organizing meeting was held at the home of Cecil Yolles with Jack and Estelle Morris, Bill Ackerman, Bob Singer, Dick Lorie, Bert Jacobs, Mel Gould, Eon Gilmore, Norm Kirzner, Leo Perkel, Dr. S. Leibel, Cecil Yolles, Denny Yolles, Dr. Bernard "Bunny" Willinsky, John Bussin, Joe Kitz, Barney Alper, Ben Dunkelman , Irving Gould and Mark Speyer in attendance. The first directors were John Bliss, salesman; Irving and Malville Gould, managers and Carl Keyfetz, solicitor. Only qualified and proven sailors were to be allowed to fly

3749-535: A ribbon bow positioned on the left shoulder. These regulations were altered in 1997, and women may wear their insignia in either the traditional manner or in the same fashion as the men. With the patriation in 1988 of oversight of heraldry from the UK to Canada through the Canadian Heraldic Authority , the constitution of the Order of Canada was amended to include the entitlement of all inductees to petition

3912-453: A similar design to the Sovereign's badge, though without precious stones, and slight differences for each grade. For Companions, the emblem is gilt with a red enamel maple leaf in the central disk; for Officers, it is gilt with a gold maple leaf; and for Members, both the badge itself and the maple leaf are silver. All are topped by a St. Edward's Crown , symbolizing that the order is headed by

4075-594: A sort of state-sanctioned criminal who had been allowed to engage in many acts of violence was immensely controversial. In an episode aired on 22 November 1964, Berton pressed Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson about the Banks affair, leading Pearson to admit that Banks had been a major campaign donor to the Liberal Party in the 1950s, which Pearson had denied up until that time. Starting in December 1964, Berton started to broadcast

4238-568: A story of decline and decay. In a review of Onward to War in the Globe & Mail in October 2001, the historian Modris Eksteins wrote: "'Canada's historian', as his publishers are describing him in recent advertising, takes us with his usual narrative verve across sundry battlefields, of South Africa, northern Europe and Korea, but also Ottawa and other venues of our domestic political strife....is this kind of judgmental narrative what history should be in

4401-428: A subject that would not become dated, and indeed was the subject of enduring popular fascination. At the same time, he noted that with the notable exceptions of Donald Creighton and W. L. Morton , Canada had no story-teller historians who wrote popular and accessible narratives of Canadian history. For reasons of pride and Canadian nationalism, Berton set out to become a story-teller historian who would write books for

4564-424: A time when the typical Canadian had an annual income of $ 5, 187 dollars, making him and his family comfortably upper middle-class. As a columnist, he turned the beating of the gambler Maxie Bluestein by the gangster Johnny Papalia on 21 March 1961 who used a steel pipe to nearly beat Bluestein to death in public into a cause célèbre . Berton called the beating of Bluestein a "semi-execution" brazenly committed in

4727-555: A visit to London , United Kingdom, later in 1970, Michener presented the Queen with her Sovereign's badge for the Order of Canada, which she first wore during a banquet in Yellowknife in July 1970. From the Order of Canada grew a Canadian honours system , thereby reducing the use of British honours (i.e. those administered by the Queen in her UK Privy Council ). Among the civilian awards of

4890-556: Is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada , after the Order of Merit . To coincide with the centennial of Canadian Confederation , the three-tiered order was established in 1967 as a fellowship recognizing the outstanding merit or distinguished service of Canadians who make a major difference to Canada through lifelong contributions in every field of endeavour, as well as efforts by non-Canadians who have made

5053-534: Is also installed as the Principal Companion for the duration of his or her time in the viceregal post and continues as an extraordinary Companion thereafter. Additionally, any governor general, viceregal consort, former governor general, former viceregal consort, or member of the Canadian royal family may be appointed as an extraordinary Companion, Officer, or Member. Promotions in grade are possible, though this

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5216-459: Is ordinarily not done within five years of the initial appointment, and a maximum of five honorary appointments into any of the three grades may be made by the governor general each year. As of January 2024 , there have been 28 honorary appointments . There were originally, in effect, only two ranks to the Order of Canada: Companion and the Medal of Service . There was, however, also a third award,

5379-429: Is practiced in the southern United States, is just as strong in the Canadian social world as it is in the economic world. There are golf clubs which make no bones about the fact that they won’t accept Jewish members, college fraternities and sororities, which exclude Jewish students. Members of these clubs have argued that in private, social organizations they should be allowed to choose the people they associate with." It

5542-502: Is suspended a white, enamelled, hexagonal snowflake design, with six equal leaves and diamonds between each. At the centre is a disc bearing a maple leaf in pavé-laid rubies on a white enamel background, surrounded at its edge by a red enamel ring (annulus) bearing the motto of the order. The Chancellor wears the badge of a Companion and is, upon installation as governor general, granted a livery collar for wear at Order of Canada investiture ceremonies. The badges for inductees are of

5705-661: The Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) aired on The Pierre Berton Show . The show featured an interview with Sergeant Walter "Rocky" Leja of the Canadian Army, who had been badly injured when he attempted to dismantle a bomb planted by the FLQ in Montreal. The same episode featured an interview with Pierre Trudeau , at the time a law professor at the Université de Montréal. In his interview with Berton, Trudeau stated that Quebec had received

5868-546: The Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada , and five members of the order who sit on the council for a three-year period. If a nomination involves a non-Canadian citizen, the deputy minister of Foreign Affairs is invited by the Advisory Council to offer evaluation. Decisions of the council and new appointments to and dismissals from the Order of Canada are announced through the Canada Gazette . As of July 2024 ,

6031-686: The Canadian Intelligence Corps saw Berton, now a Captain , trained to act as an Intelligence Officer (IO), and after a stint as an instructor at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario , he finally went overseas in March 1945. In the UK, he was told that he would have to requalify as an IO because the syllabus in the UK was different from that in the intelligence school in Canada. By

6194-467: The Chief Herald of Canada for personal armorial bearings (coats of arms), should they not already possess any. Companions may receive supporters , and all members may have the escutcheon (shield) of their arms encircled with a red ribbon bearing the order's motto in gold, and from which is suspended a rendition of the holder's Order of Canada badge. The Queen, Sovereign of the Order of Canada, approved

6357-720: The Korean War as the war correspondent of Maclean's . To make up for not seeing action in World War Two, Berton was highly keen to work as a war correspondent and lobbied Ralph Allen, the editor of Maclean's , to go to Korea as soon as the Korean War started in 1950. In late 1950 Berton wrote profiles in Maclean's of the two commanding officers of the all-volunteer Canadian Special Brigade, namely Brigadier John Meredith Rockingham and Colonel Jacques Dextraze , which were highly flattering to

6520-494: The Medal of Courage , meant to recognize acts of gallantry. This latter decoration fell in rank between the other two levels, but was anomalous within the Order of Canada, being a separate award of a different nature rather than a middle grade of the order. Without ever having been awarded, the Medal of Courage was on 1 July 1972 replaced by the autonomous Cross of Valour and, at the same time,

6683-485: The Quebec sovereignty movement , such as Luc-André Godbout, Rina Lasnier and Geneviève Bujold , while Alice Parizeau , another supporter of Quebec sovereignty, was criticized for accepting entry into the order despite her beliefs. Victoria Cross recipient Cecil Meritt cited the fact that he already held Canada's highest decoration as a reason not to be admitted to the Order of Canada. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh ,

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6846-658: The Victoria Cross , the Cross of Valour, and the badge of the Order of Merit permitted to be worn before the badges of the Order of Canada. Those in the grades of Companion or Officer may wear their badges on a neck ribbon, while those in the Member group display their insignia suspended by a ribbon from a medal bar on the left chest. Protocol originally followed the British tradition, wherein female appointees wore their Order of Canada emblem on

7009-445: The fount of honour , is at the apex of the Order of Canada as its Sovereign, followed by the governor general, who serves as the fellowship's Chancellor. Thereafter follow three grades, which are, in order of precedence: Companion (French: Compagnon ), Officer (French: Officier ), and Member (French: Membre ), each having accordant post-nominal letters that members are entitled to use. Each incumbent governor general

7172-522: The internment of Japanese Canadians to appear in the Canadian media that provided interviews with some of the interned people. Most notably, Berton interviewed Marie Suzuki, a second-generation Japanese Canadian school-teacher whose career had been ruined by the internment. Berton was quite critical of the decision made by Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King to order the internment on 24 February 1942 that saw all Japanese Canadians interned, regardless if they were immigrants or Canadian-born, unlike

7335-431: The 1950s, he published a series of articles in Maclean's that was later turned into his 1956 book The Mysterious North , which recounted his experiences in the far north of Canada in a highly romanticized way. The book had only modest sales, but it led to Berton being perceived within the Canadian media as an expert on the far north, causing him to appear on television as the resident northern expert. In 1957, he became

7498-503: The 1960s, Berton was a leading member of the Sordsmen's Club [ sic ], a group of Toronto intellectuals and businessmen who met for expensive lunches with women who were not their wives, and who were forbidden to attend its meetings unless their husband was not present. Other members included Jack McCllelland , John C. Parkin , Harold Town , George Fryer, Chuck Rathgreb, Arthur Hailey , and Ralph McCreath . Women who attended

7661-602: The 1960s, the major divisions in English-Canadian society were between continentalism (i.e., moving Canada closer to the United States), associated with the Liberal Party, and imperialism (which in a Canadian context meant closer ties with Great Britain), associated with the Conservative party. The 1960s saw the emergence of the "new nationalism" that rejected both continentalism and imperialism as options. Berton became one of

7824-456: The 1970s and has steadily dropped since then. The fundamental issue of whether or not it was to be an exclusively "Jewish yacht club" was addressed and decided quickly. Notwithstanding the way that others had treated them, the answer from the founders was a principled and emphatic "no". At a meeting on February 4, 1952 "upon motion regularly made and seconded, it was unanimously decided that all applications for membership from persons of other than

7987-585: The 1970s to be an unpleasant decade as the recession caused by the Arab oil shock of 1973–74 put an end to the "long summer" of prosperity that had begun in 1945 while the election of the separatist PQ government in Quebec in 1976 led to doubts about whatever Canada would even last as a nation. By 1979, on the threshold of a new decade that seemed to promise only more trouble, Berton came to feel that Canada needed another national epic to give hope in dark and uncertain times. As

8150-508: The 19th century. However, other historians were more critical. Michael Bliss felt that Berton's picture of the Prime Minister, Sir John A. MacDonald, was too colored by hero-worship as Bliss in a critical review stated that Berton went beyond even Creighton (whose two-volume biography of MacDonald was very sympathetic towards its subject) in portraying MacDonald as the heroic prime minister. In common with many other Canadians, Berton found

8313-425: The 21st century? If the world changed in the last century as dramatically as Berton insists, can - or should - history be written in much the same way Carlyle and Macaulay presented it over a century ago? ...That vision of the past as an interconnected whole has shattered over the century about which Berton writes, as if hit by a mammoth artillery shell, but there's no sign of this in his account. Berton served as

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8476-408: The Advisory Council feels their actions have brought the order into disrepute. In order for this to be done, the council must agree to take action and then send a letter to the person both telling of the group's decision and requesting a response. Anyone removed from the order is required to return their insignia. As of 2022 , eight people have been removed from the Order of Canada: Alan Eagleson , who

8639-522: The Advisory Council had not been unanimous in its decision, but also proved to be one of the most controversial appointments in the order's history. Opponents of Morgentaler's abortion activism organized protests outside of Rideau Hall on 9 July, while compatriots did the same in front of Government House in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador , the official residence of that province's lieutenant governor . One former police detective, Frank Chauvin, along with

8802-622: The Advisory Council operated with partisan bias. Aubin also pointed to the presence on the council of members of the Royal Society of Canada, an organization into which Somerville was received. Peter Savaryn , a member of the Waffen-SS Galician Division , was awarded the Order of Canada in 1987, for which Governor General of Canada Mary Simon expressed "deep regret" in 2023. At a 2006 conference on Commonwealth honours, Christopher McCreery, an expert on Canada's honours, raised

8965-500: The Advisory Council, was turned down for appointment, yet Morgentaler was accepted. Journalist Henry Aubin in the Montreal Gazette opined that the council's rejection of Somerville, her personal opposition to same-sex marriage , and the acceptance of Brent Hawkes, Jane Rule , and Jean Chrétien , all regarded as supporting same-sex unions, as well as the appointment of a controversial figure such as Morgentaler, were all signs that

9128-564: The Anglo-Canadian-Australian-New Zealander 27th Infantry Commonwealth Brigade in the thick of the fighting. After the failure of the Chinese spring offensive, the United Nations launched a counter-offensive that saw Seoul retaken. By June 1951, the war had reached a stalemate and negotiations were opened for an armistice, which took two years to conclude with the armistice finally being signed on 27 July 1953. During

9291-476: The Axis powers were winning the war, and Berton came to feel that the two very different visions of the world offered up by the respective sides were such that he had to take a stand by "going active", instead of remaining safely in Canada as a "Zombie". His aptitude as a soldier was such that he was appointed Lance Corporal and attended NCO school, and became a basic training instructor in the rank of corporal . Due to

9454-525: The Canadian honours system , the Order of Canada comes third, after the Cross of Valour and membership in the Order of Merit , which is within the personal gift of Canada's monarch . By the 1980s, Canada's provinces began to develop their own distinct honours and decorations. Canadian historian Margaret MacMillan represented the order at the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Westminster Abbey on 6 May 2023. The Canadian monarch, seen as

9617-554: The Commonwealth. Berton argued that Canada should side with the nonwhite bloc and use its influence to have South Africa expelled from the Commonwealth and not be permitted to return until apartheid ended. In 1960, he performed an experiment, which demonstrated widespread anti-Semitism in the resort industry when he first mailed out a letter under the name Sol Cohen to 106 resorts in the Ontario countryside, asking to stay for two weeks, and

9780-696: The IYC burgee. Training was mandatory. A Disciplinary Committee was established under the chairmanship of the Sailing Master with power to penalize, fine or expel members who did not conform with government regulations or any regulations that the club might, from time to time, see fit to pass. With Johnny Bussin responsible for seamanship instruction, Bunny Willinsky sharing his knowledge of boat handling and safety at sea and Irving Gould in charge of navigation and chart work, all members were expected to become qualified skippers so that they would not injure themselves or embarrass

9943-594: The Japanese cities had been rebuilt after having bombed to utter ruin during the war. Berton visited Hiroshima and its Peace Memorial, where he found himself sickened by the photographs of the survivors of the atomic bombing of that city, writing that: "for sheer horror it outdoes everything save the relics of Belsen and Buchenwald...I seemed to feel the little eyes of the Japanese boring into my back as I stared at those terrible pictures of heaped and peeling human bodies...The Germans, we are told, were stunned by motion pictures of

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10106-503: The Japanese victories in the winter of 1941-1942 came as a considerable surprise, and Berton stated that from his vantage in Vancouver that the war felt much closer than it had done before. In February 1942, he noted Japanese-Canadians being held in Vancouver's Hastings Park prior to being sent to internment camps in the interior of the province. Meanwhile all over Greater Vancouver the businesses and homes of Japanese-Canadians were seized by

10269-600: The Jewish faith would be given the same consideration as all other applications." This was a first for private clubs in Toronto and a policy that continues to this day. The clubhouse was built in 2006 to replace the original clubhouse, which burned down in June 2004. The original clubhouse housed the formal dining room, bar, and cafeteria-style snack bar, where Friday nights were movie night; men's and ladies' locker rooms with saunas and lounges,

10432-611: The Junior Club where young sailors and children of members could relax with their peers and the Sailor's Lounge where you could often find members playing cards or relaxing, either inside the lounge or outside on the deck. Although some of these activities have been discontinued (e.g., movie night) there is an active youth program that helps cement the club as a family-oriented facility. Other adult activities include Weekday Mah Jong, tennis tournaments, adult sail, canoeing, and kayaking. By 2014,

10595-526: The Klondike: Stampede for Gold – The Golden Trail. In 1958, he published his best-selling book Klondike The Last Great Gold Rush , a social history about the Klondike gold rush. Berton traced the appalling hardships faced by the thousands of people who came from around the world to seek their fortunes in the Klondike, the vast majority of whom failed to achieve their dreams of riches. Berton also covered

10758-532: The Order of Canada (post-nominals: CM , in French: Membre de l'ordre du Canada ) have made an exceptional contribution to Canada or Canadians at a local or regional level, group, field or activity. As many as 136 Members may be appointed annually, not including extraordinary Members and those inducted on an honorary basis, and there is no limit on how many Members may be living at one time. As of August 2017 , there were 2,281 living Members. Upon admission into

10921-409: The Order of Canada that would avert the awkwardness around appointing members of the Canadian royal family as full members of the order: He theorized that the Queen, as the order's Sovereign, could simply appoint, on ministerial advice, anyone as an extra member, or the monarch could issue an ordinance allowing for her relations to be made regular members when approved. Similarly, McCreery proposed that

11084-480: The Order of Canada, generally operating without input from ministers of the Crown ; political interference has occurred only once, when in 1978 Paul Desmarais 's investiture was delayed for six months by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau . However, some of the committee's selections have caused controversy. For instance, the admission in 2001 of sex educator Sue Johanson , host of the long-running Sunday Night Sex Show , as

11247-512: The Order of Canada, members are given various insignia of the organization, all designed by Bruce W. Beatty , who "broke new ground in the design of insignia of Orders within The Queen's realms" and was himself made a member of the order in 1990; Beatty attended every investiture ceremony between 1967 and early 2010. The badge belonging to the Sovereign consists of a jewelled, 18- carat gold crown of rubies , emeralds , and sapphires , from which

11410-440: The Sovereign, and the reverse is plain except for the word CANADA . The ribbon is white and bordered in red stripes, similar to the Canadian national flag . The ribbon bar for each grade has the same ribbon and is differentiated by a maple leaf in the centre, the colour of which matches that on the badge of the related grade (red for Companion, gold for Officer and silver for Member). For civilian wear on less formal occasions,

11573-655: The U.S. Army had failed to learn anything from the Korean war. Though most of the Canadians in Korea routinely referred to the Koreans as "gooks", Berton's articles often mentioned the suffering of Korean civilians such as one profile he did of a Mrs. Sook whose son was shot by the North Koreans in 1950 when he refused to join the North Korean People's Army, leaving her broken and destitute. In another article entitled "Seoul,

11736-670: The Yukon added to the book's appeal as many reviewers praised Klondike The Last Great Gold Rush for its sense of "authenticity". Berton joined the Toronto Star as associate editor of the Star Weekly and columnist for the daily paper in 1958. In April 1959, Berton went to Cairo with a camera crew from the Close-Up television show with the aim of interviewing President Gamal Abdel Nasser who turned out to be unwilling to be interviewed. To relive

11899-521: The achievement of outstanding merit or distinguished service by Canadians who made a major difference to Canada through lifelong contributions in every field of endeavour, as well as the efforts made by non-Canadians who have made the world better by their actions. Membership is thus accorded to those who exemplify the order's Latin motto , taken from Hebrews 11:16 of the Christian Bible , desiderantes meliorem patriam , meaning "they desire

12062-465: The actor Charlton Heston , and Rachel Jones (an airline stewardess who was presented at the time as one of the co-authors of the bestselling 1967 pseudo-memoir Coffee, Tea or Me? detailing her supposed erotic history). That season, Canadian guests included the singer Neil Young , Montreal mayor Jean Drapeau , the journalist Laurier LaPierre , the columnist Peter C. Newman and the feminist activist June Callwood . In early 1969, Berton's show aired

12225-497: The age of 29 in 1907. She met Frank Berton in the nearby mining town of Granville shortly after settling in Dawson and teaching kindergarten. Laura Beatrice Berton's autobiography of life in the Yukon entitled I Married the Klondike was published in her later years and gave her what her son Pierre describes as "a modicum of fame, which she thoroughly enjoyed." At the time, Dawson City was a highly remote place. After visiting Dawson City in

12388-465: The augmentation of her royal arms for Canada with the order's ribbon in 1987. On the grant to Bishop's College School , Quebec, the Sovereign's insignia of the Order was depicted below the Royal Arms of Canada, the only time the badge has been incorporated into a grant document. The constitution of the Order of Canada states that the insignia remain property of the Crown , and requires any member of

12551-459: The bargaining positions in the armistice talks by fighting to capture or hold some barren hill in Korea. Berton reported that the average Canadian soldier in Korea hated their Chinese enemies, but had a grudging respect for their fighting abilities while holding their South Korean allies in complete and utter contempt as the South Koreans always broke under Chinese assaults. Berton also noted, but

12714-512: The beginning of his decline from his position as Canada's preeminent public intellectual. The decline of the appeal of his books was linked to the decline of the "new nationalism" he had been associated with. Berton almost seemed to acknowledge the decline of the "new nationalism" in his 1997 book 1967 The Last Good Year , arguing that the Centennial year of 1967 was the highpoint of Canadian history and everything that had happened since 1967 had been

12877-682: The book's first print run of 100,000 copies sold out, making Berton about $ 25,000. At the time, the Church of England was one of the leading social institutions in English-Canadian society, and the book produced a storm of controversy as Berton urged church leaders to accept birth control, premarital sex and homosexuality. Berton called for the Anglican Church to accept what he called "real Christian love, in all its flexibility, with all of its concern for real people rather than for any fixed set of principles". The controversy caused by The Comfortable Pew made Berton an ubiquitous figure in Canadian media, leading

13040-566: The boredom as he waited for an entire month to interview Nasser, Berton had the Close-Up camera crew make a documentary about life in Egypt, which he credited with broadening his perspective. Following the Sharpeville massacre of 21 March 1960, when the South African police opened fire on a crowd of black South Africans protesting apartheid , killing 69 people while wounding about 180 people, Berton

13203-614: The candidates are worthy enough to be accepted into the order, and make recommendations to the governor general, who appoints the new members. The council is chaired by the chief justice of Canada , and includes the clerk of the Privy Council , the deputy minister of Canadian Heritage , the chair of the Canada Council for the Arts , the president of the Royal Society of Canada , the chair of

13366-510: The case-by-case policy with interning German Canadians and the partial internment of Italian Canadians that saw all Italian immigrants interned. Berton's article was also the first to note that greed was a major factor behind the demand for the internment as many of the people in British Columbia who agitated for total internment of all Japanese Canadians were very interested in seizing their assets for themselves. In 1951, Berton covered

13529-423: The censors, Berton's reports focusing on the bleakness and savagery of the Korean War led to accusations that he was anti-war, and hence pro-Communist. Berton was later to write that though he had much respect for the Canadian veterans of Korea, he felt that Canada's involvement in the Korean war was a major mistake. Berton moved to Toronto in 1947. At the age of 31 he was named managing editor of Maclean's . In

13692-698: The chancellor of Yukon College and, along with numerous honorary degrees, received over 30 literary awards such as the Governor General's Award for Creative Non-Fiction (three times), the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour , and the Gabrielle Léger Award for Lifetime Achievement in Heritage Conservation in 1989. He is a member of Canada's Walk of Fame , having been inducted in 1998. In The Greatest Canadian project, he

13855-561: The club was experiencing a decline in membership numbers and severe financial challenges. In 2015 it re-emerged as Spoke on the Water, a division of the proprietary Spoke Club. Several years later, the Spoke Club itself closed. 43°37′25″N 79°23′12″W  /  43.62361°N 79.38667°W  / 43.62361; -79.38667 Pierre Berton Pierre Francis de Marigny Berton , CC , O.Ont. (July 12, 1920 – November 30, 2004)

14018-561: The colonization of the West by focusing on the hardships and suffering of the farmers who could be easily ruined by crop failures. He focused instead on the tenacity and sheer determination of the settlers and provided a new heroic image of the settlement of the West. In 1986, he published Vimy , which was one of his more successful books dealing with the Battle of Vimy Ridge in 1917. Berton provoked much controversy that his thesis that Vimy may have been

14181-518: The columnist Denis Braithwaite to complain in The Globe & Mail that Canadians were now living in the "Berton era". Braithwaite wrote: "Virtually every media outlet is preoccupied with Pierre Berton and his new book. We get Berton in the morning and Berton at night. He is in the book section, the religion section, the TV section of our daily newspapers; he is the subject of feature articles and gossipy items in

14344-458: The comfort of his underworld associates. In 1961, Berton wrote a children's book, The Secret World Of Og based on the whimsical stories he told his daughters in the 1950s. Berton's publisher, Jack McClelland, was skeptical about the sales potential of The Secret World of Og , which he reluctantly published in the fall of 1961, apparently as a favor to Berton. The book turned out be very popular, selling out its first print run of 8,284 copies by

14507-497: The concern that the three grades of the Order of Canada were insufficient to recognize the nation's very best; one suggestion was to add two more levels to the order, equivalent to knighthoods in British orders. The order of precedence also came under scrutiny, particularly the anomaly that all three grades of the Order of Canada supersede the top levels of each of the other orders (except the Order of Merit), contrary to international practice. In June 2010, McCreery suggested reforms to

14670-564: The extermination camps. No sensitive Westerner can escape the same sense of guilt in the museum of Hiroshima. We roasted people to death over a slow fire. We tortured them just as surely as the Nazis tortured the Jews". The comparison of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima to the Holocaust provoked controversy. Berton expressed much sadness in his columns about the fading of traditional Japanese culture as he noted

14833-591: The famous martial artist's only surviving television interview. Berton's television career included spots as host and writer on My Country , The Great Debate , Heritage Theatre , The Secret of My Success and The National Dream . From 1966 to 1984, Berton and long-time collaborator Charles Templeton made the daily syndicated radio debate show Dialogue , based first at CFRB and later at CKEY . Berton came to be Canada's best-known intellectual. His biographer, Brian McKillop wrote: "No one in Canada or for that matter in North America, managed to take hold of

14996-622: The federal government, which proceeded to promptly auction off most of the assets it seized. Berton himself was conscripted into the Canadian Army under the National Resources Mobilization Act in 1942 and attended basic training in British Columbia, nominally as a reinforcement soldier intended for The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada . Under the National Resources Mobilization Act, the government had

15159-559: The front in February 1951 finally provided the occasion for him to work as a war correspondent. Berton arrived in South Korea in March 1951 at a critical moment as the Chinese had just taken Seoul and were preparing for a spring offensive that was launched in April 1951 that was aimed at winning the war by driving out United Nations forces of Korea. The Chinese Spring Offensive was launched, which saw

15322-438: The front lobby of the popular Town Tavern nightclub of Toronto, and demanded that the police bring Papalia to justice despite the unwillingness of nearly 100 witnesses to testify. Berton described the beating: "...as terrible a beating as it is possible to give a man without killing him...Iron bars with ropes attached to them for greater leverage rained down on Bluestein's head and across his forehead, eyes and cheekbones. His scalp

15485-478: The full range of the mainstream media with the same kind of commanding presence and authority. One searches in vain for an American or British equivalent. It is if he somehow carried the DNA of Edward R. Murrow and Jack Paar , Vance Packard and Michael Harrington , Bernard DeVoto and Studs Terkel , with more than a little Garrison Keillor in the mix. Each of these figures—a war correspondent who spoke truth to power;

15648-525: The gold rush and ended up staying in Dawson City after the gold rush ended. Berton's family moved to Victoria, British Columbia in 1932. At age 12, he joined the Scout Movement. Berton later wrote that "The Scout Movement was the making of me". He credited Scouting with keeping him from becoming a juvenile delinquent. He started his journalism career in scouting and later wrote that "the first newspaper I

15811-496: The governor general at Rideau Hall, although the monarch or a provincial viceroy may perform the task, and the ceremony may take place in other locations. Since the 1991 investiture of Ted Rogers , Order of Canada installment ceremonies have been broadcast on various television channels and the Internet; recipients are given a complimentary video recording of their investiture ceremony from Rogers Cable . At certain periods, holders of

15974-408: The governor general's approval can the resignation take effect. On 1 June 2009, the governor general accepted the resignations of astronomer and inventor René Racine , pianist Jacqueline Richard , and Cardinal Jean-Claude Turcotte ; on 11 January 2010, the same was done for Renato Giuseppe Bosisio , an engineering professor, and Father Lucien Larré ; and on 19 April 2010 for Frank Chauvin . It

16137-531: The heights of Vimy Ridge on 9 April 1917 were either killed or wounded, leading him to the conclusion that it would be better if the battle had not been fought at all. In 1992, he published Niagara: A History , a social history dealing with the people associated with the Niagara Falls together with a follow-up picture book of Niagara falls in 1993. Unlike his other books, the Niagara books sold poorly, which marked

16300-413: The insignia on eBay ; however, after the bidding reached $ 15,000, eBay removed the item, citing its policy against the sale of government property, including "any die, seal or stamp provided by, belonging to, or used by a government department, diplomatic or military authority appointed by or acting under the authority of Her Majesty." Rideau Hall stated that selling medals was "highly discouraged"; however,

16463-780: The levels of Officer and Member were introduced, with all existing holders of the Medal of Service created as Officers. Lester Pearson's vision of a three-tiered structure to the order was thus fulfilled. Companions of the Order of Canada (post-nominals: CC , in French: Compagnon de l'ordre du Canada ) have demonstrated the highest degree of merit to Canada and humanity, on either the national or international scene. Up to 15 Companions are appointed annually, with an imposed limit of 180 living Companions at any given time, not including those appointed as extraordinary Companions or in an honorary capacity. As of August 2017 , there are 146 living Companions. Since 1994, substantive members are

16626-437: The lunches included the columnist Nancy Philips; the journalist Adrienne Clarkson ; the singer Dinah Carroll; the journalist Barbara Moon; Joan Taylor, the wife of a sports journalist; the broadcaster Joan McCormack; and the art gallery owner Dorothy Cameron . About the club, Philips said in 1986: "We had an idea that we shouldn't go home alone, let's put it that way". A later controversy developed when it emerged that at end of

16789-430: The lunches, which typically occurred on a Friday afternoon and lasted five hours, each man stood behind a woman of his choosing with whom he expected to have sex. In 1968, Berton became concerned that his books dealing with contemporary issues would become dated and forgotten with the passage of time. He noted that Klondike , his account of the Klondike gold rush of the 1890s, had a more timeless quality since it covered

16952-421: The members of the advisory council are: Few have declined entry into the Order of Canada; as of 1997 , 1.5 per cent of offered appointments to the order had been refused. The identities of those individuals who have declined induction since the 1970s are kept confidential, so the full list is not publicly known. Some, however, have spoken openly about their decisions, including Robert Weaver , who stated that he

17115-413: The most popular form of plastic surgery for Japanese women was making their eyes appear Western; that Western music was being played everywhere including Shinto shrines; and the "this typical Japanese family [that he had stayed with] was about typical as John David Eaton's would be in Toronto". By the early 1960s, Berton's company, Pierre Berton Enterprises, was making an annual income of $ 37, 000 dollars at

17278-430: The national magazines; he is interviewed by every disc jockey, advice to the housewife dispenser, numerologist and pitchmen on every radio station in the land; he is on every television program, on every Canadian television channel, not just once in a while or two or three times a day, but all day, everyday-or so it seems. Our children lisp his name, our teenagers take his advice on sex; our wives curtsey to his image". In

17441-429: The next day he mailed another set of letters to the same resorts under the name D.M. Douglas, again asking to stay for two weeks. The majority of the letters sent out under the name Cohen received the reply that the resorts were all booked up and there was no space or alternatively did not answer at all. By contrast, the majority of the letters sent out under the name Douglas all received the replies that he could stay for

17604-631: The only regular citizens who are empowered to administer the Canadian Oath of Citizenship . Officers of the Order of Canada (post-nominals: OC , in French: Officier de l'ordre du Canada ) have demonstrated an outstanding level of talent and service to Canadians, and up to 64 may be appointed each year, not including those inducted as extraordinary Officers or in an honorary capacity, with no limit to how many may be living at one time. As of August 2017 , there were 1,049 living Officers. Members of

17767-546: The order as a result of the Advisory Council moving forward with his pending removal due to his being found guilty of professional misconduct. The Order's Advisory Council considered a request made in 2021 for the expulsion of Julie Payette , the 29th Governor General of Canada, from the order. Payette, an Extraordinary Companion, resigned from the viceregal post over allegations of harassment of personnel at Rideau Hall . The advisory board attempts to remain apolitical and pragmatic in its approach to selecting new members of

17930-979: The order by John Matheson . The snowflake design for the order was suggested by the diplomat John G. H. Halstead . The association was officially launched on 1 July 1967, the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation , with Governor General Roland Michener being the first inductee to the order, to the level of Companion, and on 7 July of the same year, 90 more people were appointed, including former Governor General Vincent Massey , former prime minister Louis St. Laurent , novelist Hugh MacLennan , religious leader David Bauer , novelist Gabrielle Roy , historian Donald Creighton , feminist politician and future senator Thérèse Casgrain , pioneering neurosurgeon Wilder Penfield , painter Arthur Lismer , public health leader Brock Chisholm , former political leader M. J. Coldwell , disability advocate Edwin Baker , painter Alex Colville , and ice hockey player Maurice Richard . During

18093-456: The order to return to the chancellery their original emblem should they be upgraded within the order to a higher rank. Thus, while badges may be passed down as family heirlooms, or loaned or donated for display in museums , they cannot be sold. Over the decades, however, a number of Order of Canada insignia have been put up for sale. The first was the Companion's badge of M. J. Coldwell , who

18256-566: The order were presented with other awards, usually commemorative medals. Thus far, two commemoratives have been given automatically to every living member of the Order of Canada: the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal in 1977 and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012. The task of the order's advisory council is to evaluate the nominations of potential inductees, decide if

18419-418: The order, while other appointments have been controversial. Appointees are presented with insignia and receive the right to armorial bearings . The process of founding the Order of Canada began in early 1966 and concluded on 17 April 1967, when the organization was instituted by Queen Elizabeth II, on the advice of the Canadian prime minister , Lester B. Pearson , who was assisted with the establishment of

18582-484: The owner continued efforts to sell the insignia via the internet. Five years later, a miniature insignia presented to Tommy Douglas was put on auction in Ontario as part of a larger collection of Douglas artifacts. Douglas's daughter, Shirley Douglas , purchased the set for $ 20,000. Any of the three levels of the Order of Canada are open to all living Canadian citizens, except all federal and provincial politicians and judges while they hold office. The order recognizes

18745-442: The popular story-teller historian that he set out to be. Such was the popularity of The Last Spike that in 1972 that stores sold mementoes related to the book, which was most unusual for a history book. In a review, the American historian Ralph Hidy wrote that Berton's railroad saga was an "essentially sound" history that was relatively free of errors. Hidy stated that though Berton broke no new ground in his railroad saga, his work

18908-493: The power to impose conscription for the defence of Canada and only volunteers were sent to fight overseas until late 1944. The men who were conscripted and chose to remain in Canada were popularly known as "the Zombies", a term that was highly disparaging. Because the "Zombies" refused to fight overseas, in many quarters they were viewed as cowards. He elected to "go Active" (the euphemism for volunteering for overseas service). By 1942,

19071-493: The principle spokesmen for this new nationalism, as he argued that Canada could stand alone as a great nation. The Pierre Berton Show was a popular television show owing to famous guests from Canada and around the world. In the 1968–1969 season, Berton interviewed from the United States the burlesque entertainer Gypsy Rose Lee , the actress Sharon Tate , the pornographer Bob Guccione , the "playmate novelist" Alice Denham ,

19234-504: The reigning Canadian monarch, is the order's sovereign; the governor general administers the order on his behalf as Chancellor and Principal Companion. Appointees to the order are recommended by an advisory board and formally inducted by the governor general or the sovereign. As of January 2024 , 8,375 people have been appointed to the Order, including scientists, musicians, politicians, artists, athletes, business people, film stars and benefactors. Some have resigned or have been removed from

19397-603: The requested two weeks. Berton compared the replies he received, noting there was a frosty tone to the replies to the Cohen letters while there was more warmth in the replies to the Douglas letters. Only the Green Gables lodge in Muskoka had been willing to allow Berton under the name Cohen to stay. In his column, Berton named all of the resorts that they were willing to rent to someone with

19560-478: The rest of the members or the club. In addition to "fostering sportsmanship and seamanship among Jewish youth and its members", the club was to provide "social facilities to all visiting yachtsmen" and to "foster a better understanding between Jewish and Gentile yachtsmen". The first Commodore of the Island Yacht Club and a major force for the growth of the club was Dr. Bunny Willinsky. Membership peaked at 350 in

19723-527: The rise and fall of Dawson City, a boomtown that was full of bars, brothels and gambling halls that catered to the gold prospectors, giving it a disreputable reputation both at the time and since. The book's hero was the tough and stern Colonel Sam Steele , the Yukon commissioner of the North-West Mounted Police , a policeman with an almost legendary reputation who upheld law and order during the gold rush. Berton's background as someone who grew up in

19886-442: The saddest city in the world" Berton described the war devastated city of Seoul as being in ruins with the people living there reduced to begging to stay alive and that the deeply corrupt South Korean government of President Syngman Rhee had no interest in helping its own people. Berton complied with the requests of the military censors during his time in Korea, altering one story about the killing of 60 black American soldiers in

20049-499: The school in front of the students. Pierre Berton received many honorary degrees in recognition of his work as a writer and historian . These include: There is also Berton's abridged version of "The National Dream" and "The Last Spike" that was published in 1974 and a compendium of the two books “The Invasion of Canada” and Flames Across the Border” entitled the “War of 1812” published in 1980, A comprehensive biography of Pierre Berton

20212-415: The show's main focus, namely a mixture of "celebrities, sex, and social justice". In July 1969, Berton had the telephone removed from his house in Kleinburg, and claimed he was leaving for Mexico. He spent the summer of 1969 writing his railroad epic, which came to be divided into two volumes owing to its length with his work finally being finished in December 1969. In 1971 Berton interviewed Bruce Lee ,

20375-552: The show) about their lifestyles, but the CBC would not air the episode again after receiving a flood of complaints. Like many journalists, Berton was interested in the "Banks affair", concerning an American gangster, Hal C. Banks , who, with the support of the Canadian government, had been allowed to take over the Communist-dominated Seafarers International Union in 1949. The way that Banks had operated as

20538-444: The stalemate phase of the war, both sides sought limited advantages to improve their bargaining positions in the armistice talks by capturing hills, which improved the tactical situation while having no impact on the wider strategical situation in Korea. Berton in his reportage noted that the Canadian soldiers were frustrated by the "war of the hills", complaining that it seemed pointless to them to be used essentially as pawns to improve

20701-672: The student paper The Ubyssey . He spent his early newspaper career in Vancouver , where at 21 he was the youngest city editor on any Canadian daily, replacing editorial staff that had been called up to serve in the Second World War . On 7 December 1941, the Japanese Navy bombed the American naval base at Pearl Harbor while on the same day, the Japanese Army invaded the British colonies of Hong Kong and Malaya. The extent and rapidity of

20864-457: The subject of his new national epic, Berton chose the War of 1812 with the first of his books, The Invasion of Canada dealing with the subject being published in 1980, and the second one, Flames Across the Border in 1981. Berton chose to interpret the War of 1812 as not a war between the United States and Great Britain which just happened to be fought in North America, but rather as the beginning of

21027-535: The subjects of his profiles and led the Canadian Army to expect that Berton would take a pro-war line in his reportage. In February 1951, Berton's profile of Rockingham was published in Maclean's under the title "Rocky" noted that Rockingham was a highly decorated Second World War veteran who had won the Distinguished Service Order at Dieppe in 1942 who was much liked and respected by the men who served under him. The arrival of Canadian Special Brigade at

21190-524: The summer of 1939 to see some old friends, it took Berton a week to go from Dawson City to Whitehorse as the only means of a transport was an old paddle-wheeler named the Casca that moved slowly down the Yukon river. Growing up in Dawson City, which had briefly during the Klondike gold rush of the 1890s been one of Canada's largest cities, left Berton with an eye for the colourful. During his childhood he encountered numerous eccentric people who had gone north during

21353-515: The summer of 1962, and by the 1980s The Secret World of Og had sold 70,000 copies worldwide, making it into one of Berton's most successful books. Berton always answered the fan mail he received from children who liked The Secret World of Og right up to his death, which was the only fan mail that he consistently answered. Berton left the Star in 1962 to commence The Pierre Berton Show , which ran until 1973. In January 1963, Berton started to work as

21516-639: The time Berton had requalified, the war in Europe had ended. During his time in Britain, he dated a woman named Frances who informed him on V Day that she was pregnant with his child and did not want him involved, as told by Berton in his autobiography and retold in his Biography. Berton never knew his British child. He volunteered for the Canadian Army Pacific Force (CAPF), granted a final "embarkation leave", and found himself no closer to combat employment by

21679-412: The time than today) between its predominately white members such as Britain, Australia, and New Zealand who wanted South Africa to stay vs. nonwhite members such as India, Pakistan, Ghana, and Malaya who were pressing to have South Africa expelled while Canada initially equivocated about where it stood. At the time, there were concerns that the question of South African membership might cause the break-up of

21842-562: The time the Japanese surrendered in September 1945. In 1947 he went on an expedition to the Nahanni River with pilot Russ Baker . Berton's account for the Vancouver Sun was picked up by International News Service , making him a noted adventure-travel writer. On 1 February 1948, an article by Berton appeared in Maclean's under the title "They're Only Japs", which was the first account of

22005-457: The typically Scottish surname of Douglas while refusing to rent to someone with the typically Jewish surname of Cohen. The column provoked much discussion at the time, and led to demands to end the anti-Semitic policies of the resort owners. In 1960, he visited Japan as part of his duties as a Toronto Star columnist to investigate Japan 15 years after the end of World War Two, where he was stunned by Japanese economic miracle as he noted all of

22168-446: The world better by their actions. Membership is accorded to those who exemplify the order's Latin motto , desiderantes meliorem patriam , meaning "they desire a better country", a phrase taken from Hebrews 11 :16. The three tiers of the order are Companion, Officer and Member. Specific people may be given extraordinary membership and deserving non-Canadians may receive honorary appointment into each grade. King  Charles III ,

22331-464: The youth culture of Britain, which had attracted worldwide attention following the success of the Beatles. In the episode, Berton unknowingly scored a scoop when he interviewed Mick Jagger and the other members of the newly formed Rolling Stones . When Berton asked Jagger about the charge that he was a bad influence on young people, he replied, "I don't feel morally responsible for anyone". The episode

22494-434: Was a Canadian historian, writer, journalist and broadcaster. Berton wrote 50 best-selling books, mainly about Canadiana , Canadian history and popular culture . He also wrote critiques of mainstream religion, anthologies, children's books and historical works for youth. He was a reporter and war correspondent, an editor at Maclean's Magazine and The Toronto Star and, for 39 years, a guest on Front Page Challenge . He

22657-625: Was a founder of the Writers' Trust of Canada , and won many honours and awards. Berton was born on July 12, 1920, in Whitehorse, Yukon , where his father had moved for the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush . His family moved to Dawson City, Yukon in 1921. His mother, Laura Beatrice Berton (maiden name Laura Beatrice Thompson), was a schoolteacher in Toronto until she was offered a job as a teacher in Dawson City at

22820-673: Was administered by the Berton House Writers' Retreat Society and Elsa Franklin, Pierre Berton's long-time editor and agent. In October 2007, the deed to Berton House was passed to the Writers' Trust of Canada ; the literary organization now oversees the program as part of its roster of literary support. A school in Vaughan, Ontario, was named for Pierre Berton in the York Region District School Board in September 2011. The Berton family visited and had an official opening of

22983-470: Was also reported that other constituents of the Order of Canada had, in reaction to Henry Morgentaler 's induction into their ranks, indicated that they would return or had returned their emblems in protest, including organizations such as the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate and Madonna House Apostolate doing so on behalf of deceased former members. Members may be removed from the order if

23146-549: Was an atheist. Berton died at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto, of heart failure , at the age of 84 on November 30, 2004. His cremated remains were scattered at his home in Kleinburg. He was survived by his wife and their eight children, along with 14 grandchildren. Established in 1994, the Pierre Berton Award is presented annually by Canada's National History Society for distinguished achievement in presenting Canadian history in an informative and engaging manner. Berton

23309-411: Was an extremely difficult, dangerous and arduous task, given the technology of the time. Hidy wrote that as a work of narrative popular history, Berton succeeded admirably in telling the story of the construction of the CPR over daunting odds, and in impressing the reader as to why the building of the CPR, which was completed five years ahead of schedule, was considered one of the great engineering feats of

23472-503: Was appointed in 1967; his badge was sold at auction in 1981, an act that received criticism from government officials. In 2007, it was revealed that one of the first ever issued insignia of the Order of Canada, a Medal of Service awarded originally to Quebec historian Gustave Lanctot , was put up for sale via e-mail. Originally, the anonymous auctioneer, who had purchased the decoration for $ 45 at an estate sale in Montreal , attempted to sell

23635-429: Was credited with helping to popularize hairstyles and clothing associated with the mods and rockers, the two major sub-cultures within British culture at the time. In 1964, an episode of The Pierre Berton Show attracted national controversy when Berton examined the subject of homosexuality, which was illegal in Canada at the time. Berton interviewed several American homosexuals (no Canadian gays were willing to appear on

23798-417: Was critical of the "three-tier" nature of the order; Claude Ryan and Morley Callaghan , who both declined the honour in 1967; Mordecai Richler , who twice declined; and Marcel Dubé , Roger Lemelin and Glenn Gould , who all declined in 1970. However, all the above individuals, save for Gould, later did accept appointment into the order. Others have rejected appointment on the basis of being supporters of

23961-638: Was designed for "people who would rather be outside" by Montgomery Sisam Architects in 2006. It won the Ontario Association of Architects Design of Excellence. This clubhouse was built to replace the original clubhouse, which burned down in June 2004. The Island Yacht Club was founded in 1951 by a small group of Jewish sailing enthusiasts. According to an article by Pierre Berton published in Maclean’s Magazine on November 1, 1948: "Segregation by race at which Canadians are apt to look askance when it

24124-474: Was dismissed after being jailed for fraud in 1998; David Ahenakew , who faced calls for his removal due to antisemitic comments he made in 2002; T. Sher Singh , after the Law Society of Upper Canada found him guilty of professional misconduct and revoked his licence to practise law; Steve Fonyo , due to "his multiple criminal convictions, for which there are no outstanding appeals"; Garth Drabinsky , who

24287-576: Was ever associated with was a weekly typewritten publication issued by the Seagull Patrol of St. Mary’s Troop." He remained in scouting for seven years and wrote about his experiences in an article titled "My Love Affair with the Scout Movement". Like his father, Pierre Berton worked in Klondike mining camps during his years as a history major at the University of British Columbia , where he also worked on

24450-402: Was found guilty of fraud and forgery in Ontario and has been a fugitive from American law for related crimes; Conrad Black , who was convicted in the United States in 2007 of fraud and obstruction of justice; Ranjit Chandra , whose scientific work was discredited by allegations of fraud; and Johnny Issaluk , following allegations of sexual misconduct. In 2013, Norman Barwin resigned from

24613-413: Was in 1982 offered appointment to the order as an honorary Companion; however, he refused on the grounds that, as the consort of the Queen, he was a Canadian and thus entitled to a substantive appointment. In 1993, the Advisory Council proposed an amendment to the constitution of the Order of Canada, making the monarch's spouse automatically a Companion, but Prince Philip again refused, stating that if he

24776-451: Was in this social climate that Carl Keyfetz was retained in the spring of 1951 to obtain a Provincial Charter for a Social Club to be located on Mugg’s Island that would be dedicated to the promotion of "yachting, badminton, squash, tennis, bowling, skating, swimming, curling and other games of sport and to arrange matches and competitions of every nature and to offer or grant and contribute towards prizes awards and distinctions". A lease for

24939-498: Was named an Officer of the Order of Canada ; in 1986, he was named a Companion of the Order of Canada, Canada's highest decoration. In 2004, Berton published his 50th book, Prisoners of the North , after which he announced in an interview with CanWest News Service that he was retiring from writing. On October 17, 2004, the CA$ 12.6-million Pierre Berton Resource Library, named in his honour,

25102-458: Was one of the speakers at a fundraiser at Massey Hall that sought to raise money to treat those wounded in the massacre. Greatly shaken by the massacre, Berton used his column to criticize the apartheid system in South Africa, writing: "The time has come for this country to finally take a stand on South Africa". At the time, there was a split within the Commonwealth (considered more important at

25265-477: Was opened in Vaughan, Ontario . He had lived in nearby Kleinburg, Ontario , for about 50 years. Berton attracted attention in October 2004 by discussing his 40 years of recreational use of marijuana on two CBC Television programs, Play and Rick Mercer Report . On the latter show he gave a "celebrity tip" on how to roll a joint . Berton married Janet Walker in 1946. They had eight children. Berton

25428-428: Was prevented by censorship from saying that though the Canadian soldiers respected the British, Australians and New Zealand soldiers they served alongside, but held a lower opinion of the U.S. Army. The majority of American soldiers in Korea were teenage draftees, who generally came from the more poorer and less educated elements of American society, which led to morale problems. Berton's experiences in Korea left him with

25591-436: Was split seven or eight times. Knuckledusters were smashed into his eyes and a broken bottle was ground into his mouth. When Bluestein dropped to the floor, he was kicked in the face. His overcoat, torn and slashed, was literally drenched in his own blood... When I saw Bluestein, some 10 days after the affair, he looked like a piece of meat". Papalia finally turned himself in as the case was attracting too much media attention for

25754-439: Was that he spanned them all and become more than their sum". In 1970, book one of Berton's epic about the building of the CPR, The National Dream was published, becoming a great critical and commercial success by 1971. Book two of the series, The Last Spike , was published in 1971 and was even more successful with the public. The success of The Last Spike transformed Berton into a sort of "national institution" as he become

25917-409: Was the first recipient and agreed to lend his name to future awards. His childhood home in Dawson City, Yukon , now called Berton House , is currently used as a retreat for professional Canadian writers. Established authors apply for a three-month-long subsidized residency, adding to the area's literary community with events such as local public readings. Previously, the Berton House Writers' Retreat

26080-512: Was to be appointed, it should be on his merits. Congruent with these arguments, he in 1988 accepted without issue a substantive induction as a Companion of the Order of Australia . In 2013, the constitution of the Order of Canada was amended in a way that permitted the substantive appointment of Royal Family members and Prince Philip accepted induction as the first extraordinary Companion of the Order of Canada on 26 April 2013. Former Premier of Newfoundland Joseph Smallwood declined appointment as

26243-457: Was very "lively" and carried "the reader through one cliff-hanging situation after another". The sections dealing with the building of the Rocky mountains section of the CPR are generally considered to be the vivid and exciting part of Berton's railroad epic. Berton described how the railroad builders had to quite literally blast and hack their way through the sheer granite of the Rocky mountains, which

26406-519: Was voted No. 31 in the list of great Canadians. Berton was named Toronto Humanist of the Year 2003 by the Humanist Association of Toronto. The honour is presented by H.A.T. to men and women who, in their actions and creative endeavours, exemplify the principles of Humanism: a commitment to reason, compassion, ethics and human dignity. In 1992, he was named a member of the Order of Ontario . In 1974, he

26569-532: Was written by A. B. McKillop . It was published in 2008, four years after Berton's death aged 84. All of Pierre Berton's writings, including finished books and articles as well as manuscripts, drafts, and research material are now held in the Pierre Berton fonds at the McMaster University Archives. Companion of the Order of Canada The Order of Canada (French: Ordre du Canada )

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