Ottawa. Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell was among 46 people inducted into the Order of Canada on Saturday by Gov. Gen. Adrienne Clarkson.
Established on July 1, 1967 to commemorate the country's 100th birthday, the Order of Canada is the country's highest honour and recognizes outstanding achievement and service in various fields of human endeavour.
Ms. Mitchell was one of two people made a Companion of the Order, the highest of three levels of recognition. Officers and Members are the others.
Ms. Mitchell, born in Fort MacLeod, Alta., turns 61 next Sunday.
The singer's catalogue includes folk, rock, jazz, big-band, world beat and orchestral music. Her singles include Big Yellow Taxi; You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio; Free Man in Paris, and Raised On Robbery.
This is just the latest honour for Ms. Mitchell, who received an honorary Doctor of Music degree from McGill University last Wednesday.
She was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1981 and into the Cleveland-based Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. She received a Grammy award for Lifetime Achievement in 2002, with a citation describing her as "one of the most important female recording artists of the rock era" and "a powerful influence on all artists who embrace diversity, imagination and integrity."
The other Companion inductee was Martin L. Friedland of Toronto. Friedland was Dean of Law at the University of Toronto from 1972 to 1979 and the author or editor of 17 books, including Detention Before Trial, Double Jeopardy, Access to the Law and The Trials of Israel Lipski.
The other inductees:
Officers: Irving (Ike) Barber, Delta., B.C.; Charles Coffey, Toronto; Donald Deacon, Charlottetown; Louis Deveau, Dartmouth, N.S.; John Fowles, Knowlton, Que.; Daniel Gauthier, St-Bruno, Que.; Margaret Hilson, Ottawa; Guy Laliberte, Montreal; Leonard Lockhart, Moncton, N.B.; Donald Mackay, Peterborough, Ont.; Gerald Maier, Calgary; Phillip Orsino, Toronto; Royden Rabinowitch, Ghent, Belgium and Toronto; H. Glenn Rainbird, Edmonton; Ronald Rompkey, Sgt. John's, Nfld.; Richard Tomlinson, Hamillton; William Weintraub, Montreal.
Members: Morton Beiser, Toronto; Hugh Boyd, Ottawa; Jean-Marie Brochu, St-Lambert-de-Lauzon, Que.; Clarence (Shorty) Brown, Yellowknife, N.W.T.; John Clayton, Toronto; George Cooper, Halifax; Laura Dodson, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.; Arthur Drache, Ottawa; Abdo (Albert) El Tassi, Winnipeg; Stephanie Felesky, Calgary; Eldon Hay, Sackville, N.B.; Susan Knight, St. John's, Nfld.; John Laidlaw, Toronto; James Langley, Ottawa; Ronald Lou-Poy, Victoria, B.C.; Margot Phaneuf, St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.; Nancy Poole, London, Ont.; Timothy Porteous, West Vancouver, B.C.; Tannis Richardson, St. Germain South, Man.; Douglas Riley, Toronto; Annette Saint-Pierre, St. Boniface, Man.; Janet Somerville, Toronto; Howard Tennant, Lethbridge, Alta.; Ernest Walker, Saskatoon; Vi Warren, Colborne, Ont.; Jonathan Wener, Montreal; Betty Jane Wylie, MacTier, Ont.
Printed from the official Joni Mitchell website. Permanent link: https://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=1189
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