Actor, athlete Johnny Issaluk stripped of Order of Canada

OTTAWA – Gov. Gen. Mary Simon has stripped actor and athlete Johnny Issaluk of the Order of Canada.

A regulatory notice being published Saturday says Issaluk’s appointment was terminated Aug. 31.

An appointment to the Order of Canada may be terminated by the governor general on the recommendation of an advisory council.

The notice does not include reasons for withdrawing Issaluk’s membership and Rideau Hall did not elaborate, but said the advisory council “concluded that there were grounds for termination.”

Issaluk, who hails from Chesterfield Inlet, Nvt., was appointed to Canada’s highest civilian order in 2019.

At the time, the vice-regal’s office said Issaluk was chosen “for his contributions as an athlete, actor, educator and Arctic ambassador, who has increased the visibility of northern and Inuit culture.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 14, 2022.