Children’s entertainer Raffi and music journalist Nardwuar the Human Serviette were among the 13 British Columbians appointed to the Order of Canada at the end of 2025.
Canada’s Governor General Mary Simon announced the list of 80 appointees on New Year’s Eve.
B.C.-based singer-songwriter Raffi Cavoukian is known for hit songs like “Baby Beluga” and “Bananaphone.” He also created the Raffi Foundation for Child Honouring, which promotes his “children-first” philosophy. In recent years he’s been a vocal critic of the Trump administration in the United States.
The 77-year-old Armenian-Canadian was first appointed to the Order of Canada in 1983. The 2025 appointment promotes him to Companion, the highest level within the Order.
The Governor General’s list says Raffi’s “songs have impacted generations with his message of love, environmental stewardship and social responsibility.”
Nardwuar was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada. He’s known globally for his deep-dive celebrity interviews and offbeat outfits, including his signature tartan hat.
The announcement praises the 57-year-old Vancouverite for his advocacy for independent music and for campus and community radio.
“So humbled that people thought I was worthy of this honour and nominated me,” Nardwuar said in an Instagram post on Wednesday. “I would like to dedicate this Order of Canada to my late Mom who taught me so much about history, local independent media, and the value of research,” he said.
Eleven other British Columbians are among the appointees:
- Cognitive neuroscience researcher Adele Diamond, O.C., Vancouver
- Neurological rehabilitation researcher Janice J. Eng, O.C., Vancouver
- Neurology professor Judy Illes, O.C., Vancouver
- Animal Welfare researcher Marina Andrea Graefin von Keyserlingk, O.C., North Vancouver.
- Forensic nursing educator Sheila Dawn Early, C.M., Surrey.
- International law scholar James C. Hathaway, C.M., Vancouver
- Educator Gillian Kydd, C.M., Roberts Creek
- Vancouver International Film Festival founder Leonard Schein, C.M., Vancouver
- Broadcaster, author, science journalist Ziya Tong, C.M., Toronto and Vancouver.
- Composer and teacher Barry Truax, C.M., Vancouver.
- Public Knowledge Project founder, John Mark Willinsky, C.M., Vancouver and San Francisco, California.
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