Directory of honorary doctorates

On April 4, 2001, Roy Romanow was appointed to head the Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada. The commission's final report entitled "Building on Values" offers a blueprint for updating and improving the way Canadians deal with all aspects of health. Romanow earned arts and law degrees from the University of Saskatchewan. He was first elected to the Saskatchewan legislature in 1967, the first stage of an outstanding 34-year political career. He was one of the key players in the fe...
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After Roger Blais earned a doctorate in economic geology at the University of Toronto in 1954, he went on to quickly achieve prominence in mining geology, developing a number of prospecting and exploration technologies. In the 1960s, he was a leader in the development of Earth sciences in Canada. In 1970, he became a professor in economic geology and the first director of research at Montreal's École polytechnique, where he was a pioneer in establishing productive partnerships between universi...
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The University of Ottawa honoured His Excellency Rudolf Schuster, President of the Slovak Republic. President Schuster, who was in Ottawa for a private visit, received an honorary doctorate from University Chancellor Huguette Labelle.A civil engineer and author of numerous books on a variety of subject, Rudolf Schuster became the first elected president of Slovakia in 1999. His links to the University of Ottawa date back to his time as ambassador of Czechoslovakia to Canada. During his time in ...
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Ryoji Noyori has spent more than 40 years in selfless devotion to science, engaged in work that has yielded substantial technical advances with highly practical implications. Two years ago he shared the Nobel Prize in chemistry for his accomplishments. During the 1970s, Noyori's pioneering research yielded a new molecule called BINAP, whose properties opened up new possibilities in chemistry and chemical engineering, and made existing processes more efficient. This innovation was especially w...
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As one of the world's foremost architects, Douglas Cardinal has worked tirelessly at setting the aspirations of human beings above the needs of an impersonal system. The result is immediately evident in the buildings he has designed for the world. The son of a game warden, Cardinal grew up in Alberta with a unique Canadian perspective drawn from his parallel European and native roots. For Cardinal, the creation of any building is an intense spiritual act that demands the best from everyone in...
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Denise Verreault is a well-known figure in Quebec, as an entrepreneur and businesswoman, but also as a model for young entrepreneurs. She was born in Les Méchins, a village on the Gaspé Peninsula where Groupe Maritime Verreault still has its head office. After completing a degree in education, Verreault was gearing up for a career in teaching, but her life took an unexpected turn towards a totally different path. In 1989, when she was 24 years old, Verreault succeeded her father, then deceased...
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Her outstanding achievements have brought her to Canada’s highest office and upon entering Rideau Hall, Adrienne Clarkson brought with her the values she has always defended. She takes every opportunity to promote the national identity and to foster a greater appreciation of the cultural diversity and richness of Canada. Eager to advance Canada as a “unique project”, she has set forth on a mission to help raise the awareness and appreciation of Canadians for the complex and pacifist nature of t...
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When Robert Brown was appointed president and chief executive officer of Bombardier Inc. in 1999, he was the third person to have held that role since the family-run company was founded by patriarch Joseph-Armand Bombardier in 1942. Prior to his appointment, Brown headed Bombardier Aerospace where, for a decade, he oversaw the phenomenal growth of the aerospace division, building it into the most profitable of the company's core businesses. His earlier career was mainly spent in the federal p...
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Canada's brain drain stops at Chaviva Hošek's desk. As president and chief executive officer of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIAR), her mandate consists of retaining the very best and brightest in this country. Made up of members selected for their outstanding talent and promise, CIAR challenges these individuals with some of the most ambitious, far-reaching research projects in the world. The subject matter covers such topics as the biochemical history of life on earth and the...
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In the early 1980s, Rod Bryden travelled extensively to make presentations for potential investors in his Ottawa-based information technology firm, SHL Systemhouse Ltd. He wound up spending less time explaining the intricacies of his business than he did explaining where Ottawa was and why anyone would run a business from there. Fifteen years later, he found himself on a similar speaking circuit to drum up interest in his most recent venture, World Heart Corporation. This time, however, Ottawa...
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