A new award created by the University of Ottawa will be given for the first time on October 28, 2003, and the recipients are among Canada’s most notable and respected leaders.
The Distinguished Canadian Leadership Award recognizes individuals or organizations that have demonstrated outstanding leadership on the national and international scene. The honourees at the 2003 Distinguished Canadian Leadership Awards gala dinner will be Stephen Lewis, Maurice Strong and Hilary Weston.
Also to be honoured at the dinner is Paul Tellier, OC, President and CEO of Bombardier Inc. and former Clerk of the Privy Council. Tellier will receive the Meritas Tabaret Award, which is awarded to an outstanding alumnus of the University of Ottawa. Previous recipients include Canada Post CEO André Ouellet, television host Alex Trebek, and former president of the Canadian International Development Agency and current University Chancellor Huguette Labelle.
In political life, Stephen Lewis led the Ontario NDP and served as an MPP. He has also had a distinguished career in international relations, serving as Canada’s ambassador to the UN and in several capacities at the UN. He is known most recently for his work as the UN special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, a job he has pursued with his characteristic passion and devotion.
Maurice Strong’s ties to the UN are also deep, as chair of the 1992 Earth Summit and as a senior advisor to the Secretary-General of the UN and to the President of the World Bank. Strong is also an environmentalist, entrepreneur, working on behalf of a number of leading corporations including Power Corporation and Ontario Hydro.
Hilary Weston is a well-known community leader and philantropist who served as Ontario’s 26th Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario, from 1997 to 2002. Soon after her appointment to that position she established a foundation for youth showing her commitment to Ontario’s young people. In addition to her considerable service to charitable organizations, she also gained prominence as deputy chair of the board of department store chain Holt Renfrew. Weston is the current chair of the Renaissance ROM Campaign for the RoyalOntarioMuseum.
Paul M. Tellier took over as president and chief executive officer of Bombardier Inc. in January 2003. Before that, he spent more than 10 years at the helm of Canadian National Railway where he was responsible for a major turnaround and guided the corporation to what the Financial Post called “the richest and most successful initial public offering in Canadian history.” In the public sector, Tellier served in many senior positions including as deputy minister in the departments of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, and Energy, Mines and Resources. As Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet, Tellier was Canada’s top public servant from 1985 to 1992.
