Governor General appoints 7 Concordians to the Order of Canada

Monique F. Leroux, LLD 11

Monique F. Leroux is recognized for her exceptional contributions to the world of finance. Currently a consultant for global CEO advisory firm Teneo, Leroux sits on the boards of several companies and chairs Michelin’s Corporate Social Responsibility Committee and BCE/BELL’s Governance Committee.

Throughout her career, Leroux has broken gender barriers in business. As the first woman to head a major financial institution in Canada as president and CEO, she steered Desjardins Group through the 2008 financial crisis to become an internationally award-winning institution. She was also the first female president of the Ordre des comptables agréés du Québec.

In 2011, Leroux received an honorary doctorate from Concordia for her “accomplishments and leadership in management, leadership, accounting and governance.” Previously an Officer of the Order of Canada, she was made a Companion on April 17, 2024.

Officer

Kent Nagano, DFA 19

Kent Nagano is a renowned operatic and orchestral conductor. He is the general musical director of the Hamburg State Opera and conducts the city’s Philharmonic State Orchestra. He was named an Officer of the Order of Canada for his commitment to showcasing Canadian, Québécois and Montreal composers, premiering and commissioning their works for performance worldwide.

In addition to his overseas projects, Nagano led the Montreal Symphony Orchestra for 15 years and is now a conductor emeritus. He has been a Compagnon of the Ordre des arts et des lettres de Québec since 2017.

Members

Terry Copp, BA 59

Terry Copp, who formerly taught history at Loyola College — one of Concordia’s founding institutions — has made his impact in higher education by helping shape Canadians’ understanding of the country’s history, particulary the role of its military in the Second World War.

After teaching at Concordia and then McGill University, Copp left his hometown to join Wilfred Laurier University, where he is now a professor emeritus. In 1991, he founded the unversity’s Laurier Centre for Military and Strategic Disarmament Studies (now Laurier Centre for the Study of Canada).

Joyce Napier, BA 81

Joyce Napier is a veteran political journalist and foreign correspondent who is honoured for her contributions to Canadian journalism. She has worked with The Globe and Mail, The Canadian Press, La Presse, CBC Television and Radio-Canada — where she was the Middle East correspondent for five years — and served as Ottawa bureau chief for CTV National News until 2023. She is also “the only person to have ever served as a bureau chief for both an English- and a French-language Canadian news network.”

The daughter of Egyptian immigrants, Napier was born in Montreal, raised in Rome and speaks five languages. In May, she was named Canada’s Ambassador to the Holy See.

Myrna Lashley, BA 84

Myrna Lashley is an equity and racial justice leader, a mental-health and social justice researcher, as well as an associate professor of psychiatry at McGill University. She is honoured for her formidable work as a consultant on issues of equity, diversity and inclusion across all levels of government and with the Service de la Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM).

Lashley was also recently named a Great Concordian for her contributions as an academic and advocate. To mark the university’s 50th anniversary in 2024, 50 standout alumni like Lashely are being recognized for their impact on their field and society.

Bruce A. Lourie, BSc 84 

A sustainability champion, Bruce A. Lourie is honoured for his research on electrification as a means to address climate change in Canada. He also serves as president of the Ivey Foundation, a private charity that seeks to transition Canada to a net-zero economy.

Lourie has been instrumental in the founding of more than a dozen organizations in support of climate justice, and has helped to establish the Ontario Greenbelt. He was also a significant contributor in phasing out coal-fired power plants in that province, widely considered North America’s largest climate action.

Frances M. Shaver

A former professor in Concordia’s Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Frances M. Shaver studies the experiences of people working in the sex industry (PWSI). She has partnered with sex worker-led organizations like Stella Montreal to examine the impacts of public policies on PWSI communities and is recognized for her sensitivity, respect and support in this role.

Her work on the Sex Trade Advocacy Research project resulted in two reports for policy makers, as well as information pamphlets for sex workers. She has also spearheaded many events that connect community partners, policy makers and researchers to reduce marginalization and isolation for PWSI.