Based on coverage from CBC, CP24, Castanet, Montreal Gazette, and Winnipeg Free Press.
Governor General Mary Simon has signed off on removing two men from the Order of Canada after they were found guilty of serious wrongdoing, according to notices published Friday in the Canada Gazette. The Order of Canada is the country’s highest civilian honour, and having it revoked is rare.
The terminations were signed in April, and made public the same day Simon presided over her final Order of Canada investiture ceremony. Louise Arbour is set to be installed as Canada’s 31st governor general on May 8.
Order of Canada revocations approved by Mary Simon
The Canada Gazette notices say Simon approved the “termination of appointment” for Peter Dalglish and Jacques Lamarre.
The Office of the Secretary to the Governor General said it does not comment on the specifics of termination cases. It added that revocation is considered an “extraordinary measure” meant to protect the credibility of the honours system, and that grounds can include a criminal conviction or discipline by a professional order. Terminations are recommended to the Governor General by the same advisory body that recommends appointments.
Peter Dalglish conviction in Nepal
Dalglish, originally from London, Ontario, was appointed a member of the Order of Canada in 2016 for humanitarian work. He founded Street Kids International, a charity that aimed to provide vocational training to homeless youth.
Multiple reports say Dalglish was convicted in Nepal in 2019 of sexually assaulting two boys aged 11 and 14. One account says he was arrested after police raided his home in Nepal where the boys were found. Another report says he was arrested a year earlier at a mountain home he built in a village east of Kathmandu.
On sentencing, the sources line up on the total time but describe it differently: some report he received a 16-year sentence, while another explains it as two sentences (nine years and seven years) to be served concurrently.
Dalglish denied wrongdoing, and his lawyers at the time described the investigation and trial as a travesty of justice. A Nepalese law enforcement official alleged he lured the boys away from poor families with promises such as education, jobs, or trips, then abused them.
Jacques Lamarre and SNC-Lavalin Libya scandal
Jacques Lamarre, a former top executive at SNC-Lavalin, was appointed an officer of the Order of Canada in 2005. Sources differ slightly on his CEO timeline, describing him as CEO until 2009, or as leading the company across the 1996 to 2009 period, with other reporting emphasizing 2001 to 2009.
Earlier this year, Quebec’s engineering regulator, the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec, stripped Lamarre of his licence and fined him $75,000 after a disciplinary council found him guilty of collusion and corruption tied to the company’s dealings in Libya. Reports also say the case involved payments connected to Saadi Gadhafi, son of former Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi.
On the amount paid, one report describes “millions of dollars” going to Saadi Gadhafi, while others cite $2 million paid to the Gadhafi family.
One source says Lamarre had already retired as an engineer and announced in August 2025 that he was resigning as a member of the Order of Canada, while calling the disciplinary ruling unfair and unreasonable. Another report says he has denied knowledge of any corrupt acts. A separate report notes that no reasons were provided publicly for Lamarre’s removal in the Canada Gazette.
Why revoking an Order of Canada matters
Removal from the Order of Canada doesn’t happen often, and the system is designed to treat it as an exceptional step. Past high-profile examples of people stripped of the honour include Conrad Black, Buffy Sainte-Marie, and Garth Drabinsky.
For Canadians, the message is pretty direct: the country’s top civilian honour comes with expectations that don’t end when the medal goes on.
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