From the Governor General’s website:

Established in 1967 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the Order of Canada is the cornerstone of the Canadian Honours System, and recognizes outstanding achievement, dedication to the community, and service to the nation. The Order recognizes people in all sectors of Canadian society. Their contributions are varied, yet they have all enriched the lives of others and made a difference to this country. Since its creation, more than 6,000 people from all sectors of society have been invested into the Order.

This is an awesome recognition to receive and during the holidays, it was bestowed upon Jennifer Stoddart, our previous federal Privacy Commissioner.

I think this tells a lot about her as a person and her career, but particularly her role in fixing the OPC and then leading that office to be a true international leader in the privacy industry. I remember being present with her when she won the IAPP Vanguard Award for leadership back in 2010. I’m glad that, now, our own country recognizes what she accomplished.

I think the award is also important on another level for the privacy profession. Privacy is definitely something that people — Canadians in particular — care deeply about and I think the government’s recognition of someone’s achievements within that industry is telling, that they recognize it's something pretty darn important. I hope their interest in the topic doesn’t end there, but at least it’s a good start.

I suspect as a result of this terrific news that Commissioner Stoddart had a fun New Year’s Eve. For me, I have to say that it was really nice, too (we had a big dinner, lots of wine and friends). I hope yours was fun as well, and that your 2016 is off to a good start. 

Here’s to the excitement of a New Year. Cheers…