Ukrainian Canadian community leader appointed to Order of Canada

Congratulations to Orysia Sushko on being appointed to the Order of Canada by Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada.

Mrs. Sushko is immediate past President of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, and a recipient of its most prestigious award, the Taras Shevchenko Medal. She was appointed to the Order of Canada for her long time community activism in promoting multiculturalism, diversity, and women's rights, as well as for supporting the Ukrainian Canadian community.

"On behalf of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress and the Ukrainian Canadian Community, it is with heartfelt warmth that I congratulate Orysia Sushko on her appointment to the Order of Canada, Canada's highest civilian honour," said Paul Grod, current national president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress. "Orysia has spent her lifetime working for the benefit of the Ukrainian Canadian community and more recently to stop the scourge that is human trafficking."

"I would like to take this opportunity to personally recognize and congratulate Orysia for her efforts and on this very prestigious recognition," he said.

Awarded for the first time in 1967, during Canada's Centennial Year, the Order of Canada launched the creation of our country's own system of honours. More information on the Canadian Honours System can be found here.