Companion of the Order of Canada

Order of Canada
Insignia of a Member of the Order of Canada
Awarded by the Monarch of Canada
Type	National order
Motto	Desiderantes meliorem patriam
Eligibility	All living Canadians, except federal and provincial politicians and judges while holding office.
Awarded for	The highest degree of merit, an outstanding level of talent and service, or an exceptional contribution to Canada and humanity.
Status	Currently constituted
Sovereign	Queen Elizabeth II
Chancellor	Governor General David Johnston
Grades	Companion (CC) Officer (OC) Member (CM)
Former grades	Medal of Service Medal of Courage
Statistics
Established	17 April 1967
First induction	1 July 1967
Total inductees	6,531 (as of October 2015[update])
Precedence
Next (higher)	Member of the Order of Merit
Next (lower)	Commander of the Order of Military Merit

The Order of Canada (French: Ordre du Canada) is a Canadian national order, admission into which is the second highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada. It comes second only to membership in the Order of Merit, which is the personal gift of Canada's monarch.

To coincide with the centennial of Canadian Confederation, the three-tiered order was established in 1967 as a fellowship that recognizes the outstanding merit or distinguished service of Canadians who make a major difference to Canada through lifelong contributions in every field of endeavour, as well as the efforts by non-Canadians who have made the world better by their actions. Membership is accorded to those who exemplify the order's Latin motto, desiderantes meliorem patriam, meaning "they desire a better country", a phrase taken from Hebrews 11:16. The three tiers of the order are Companion, Officer, and Member; specific individuals may be given extraordinary membership and deserving non-Canadians may receive honorary appointment into each grade.

The monarch—at present Elizabeth II—is Sovereign of the order and the serving governor general, currently David Lloyd Johnston, is its Chancellor and Principal Companion and administers the order on behalf of the reigning king or queen. Appointees to the order are recommended by an advisory board and formally inducted by the governor general or the sovereign. As of October 2016^[update], 6,699 people have been appointed to the Order of Canada, including scientists, musicians, politicians, artists, athletes, business people, and film stars, benefactors, and others. Some have resigned or have been removed from the order, while other appointments have been controversial. Appointees are presented with insignia and receive the right to armorial bearings.