OTTAWA – Nino Ricci was among the 50 new appointments to the Order of Canada announced on June 30th by Governor General David Johnston. Rumours that the inclusion was an administrative oversight have so far proved unfounded. As a Member of the Order, Ricci will receive a lapel pin as well as the right to include the initials C.M. after his name. He will also have the right to be addressed by the honorific “Mister,” commonly abbreviated as “Mr.”

Recipients will be invited to accept their lapel pins at a ceremony to be held in the nation’s capital. A request by Mr. Ricci for a public reading at the event of the Open Letter he addressed to Stephen Harper during the recent election campaign has so far gone unanswered.

The Order of Canada, one of our country’s highest civilian honours, was established to recognize a lifetime of outstanding achievement, dedication to community and service to the nation. Ricci expressed hopes that his appointment did not constitute a departure from those aims.