Editing Order of Canada (section)

===Controversial appointments===
The advisory board attempts to remain apolitical and pragmatic in its approach to selecting new members of the Order of Canada, generally operating without input from [[Minister of the Crown|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]].<ref name=McCreeryG&M /> 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 a Member stirred controversy among some of Canada's Christian organizations, as Johanson had taught teenagers methods of [[safe sex]] alongside abstinence.<ref>{{citation| title=A deserving recipient| newspaper=Toronto Star| date=3 July 2008| url=https://www.thestar.com/comment/article/453124| access-date=5 July 2008| archive-date=4 August 2008| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080804170102/http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/453124| url-status=live}}</ref> Similarly, the acceptance of [[birth control]] advocate [[Elizabeth Bagshaw]] and [[gay rights]] campaigner [[Brent Hawkes]] also incited debate.<ref name=McCreeryG&M />
[[File:HenryMorgentaler.jpg|thumb|left|[[Henry Morgentaler]] (right), with [[Jack Layton]] (left); Morgentaler's appointment was one of the most controversial in the history of the Order of Canada.]]

[[Abortion-rights movements|Abortion-rights]] activist Henry Morgentaler's appointment to the order on 1 July 2008 not only marked the first time 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.<ref name=McCreeryG&M /><ref name=McCreery2010 /> 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 (Newfoundland and Labrador)|Government House]] in [[St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador]], the official residence of [[Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador|that province's lieutenant governor]].<ref>{{citation| title=Former N.B. lieutenant-governor to return Order of Canada in protest| publisher=CBC| date=9 July 2008| url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/former-n-b-lieutenant-governor-to-return-order-of-canada-in-protest-1.749669| access-date=26 October 2014| archive-date=26 October 2014| archive-url=https://archive.today/20141026143448/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/former-n-b-lieutenant-governor-to-return-order-of-canada-in-protest-1.749669| url-status=live}}</ref>

One former police detective, Frank Chauvin, along with 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.<ref>{{citation| last=Sonski| first=Peter| title=Exclusive: Abortionist's Order of Canada Appointment Brings Law Suit| journal=Headline Bistro| date=27 July 2008| publisher=Knights of Columbus| url=http://www.headlinebistro.com/hb/en/news/world/Morgentaler_lawsuit.html| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711160958/http://www.headlinebistro.com/hb/en/news/world/Morgentaler_lawsuit.html| archive-date=11 July 2011| access-date=27 July 2009}}</ref> The appointment of Morgentaler prompted former [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal]] [[Member of Parliament (Canada)|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 the Advisory Council, was turned down for appointment, yet Morgentaler was accepted.<ref>{{citation| last=Lincoln| first=Clifford| author-link=Clifford Lincoln| title=Should our top judge be choosing recipients of the Order of Canada?| newspaper=Montreal Gazette| date=15 July 2008| url=http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/editorial/story.html?id=478b56b1-633a-4aec-a9cc-99ff23d39e93| access-date=3 October 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107082634/http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/editorial/story.html?id=478b56b1-633a-4aec-a9cc-99ff23d39e93| archive-date=7 November 2012}}</ref> 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 Vance Rule|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 the Advisory Council operated with partisan bias.<ref name=aubin>{{citation| last=Aubin| first=Henry| title=McGill ethicist refused OC because she was 'too controversial'| newspaper=Montreal Gazette| date=8 July 2008| url=http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/features/viewpoints/story.html?id=62cda378-0d93-4a8b-8d88-010af82ffe62| access-date=3 October 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104155543/http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/features/viewpoints/story.html?id=62cda378-0d93-4a8b-8d88-010af82ffe62| archive-date=4 November 2012}}</ref> Aubin also pointed to the presence on the council of members of the Royal Society of Canada, an organization into which Somerville was received.<ref name=aubin />

[[Peter Savaryn]], a member of the [[14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Galician)|Waffen-SS Galician Division]],<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Rudling |first=Per Anders |date=2012 |title='They Defended Ukraine': The 14. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS (Galizische Nr. 1) Revisited |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13518046.2012.705633 |journal=The Journal of Slavic Military Studies |language=en |volume=25 |issue=3 |pages=329–368 |doi=10.1080/13518046.2012.705633 |s2cid=144432759 |issn=1351-8046 |archive-date=4 December 2023 |access-date=5 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231204054910/http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13518046.2012.705633 |url-status=live }}</ref> was awarded the Order of Canada in 1987,<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-10-02 |title=University of Alberta facing calls to return thousands more in donations connected to Waffen SS veterans |language=en-CA |work=The Globe and Mail |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-university-of-alberta-facing-calls-to-return-thousands-more-in/ |access-date=2023-10-03 |archive-date=25 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240925223617/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-university-of-alberta-facing-calls-to-return-thousands-more-in/ |url-status=live }}</ref> for which Governor General of Canada [[Mary Simon]] expressed "deep regret" in 2023.<ref>{{cite web | last=Golinkin | first=Lev | title=Exclusive: Canada apologizes for honoring another veteran from unit that fought with Nazis | website=The Forward | date=2023-10-04 | url=https://forward.com/fast-forward/562864/canada-nazi-ss-galachina-peter-savaryn-yaroslav-hunka-mary-simon/ | access-date=2023-10-04}}</ref>