Governor General David Johnston honoured three of Canada’s biggest celebrities with performing arts awards on Wednesday, just as the Great White North approaches its 150th birthday.
Crooner Michael Buble and actors Michael J. Fox and Martin Short were among seven recipients of the awards, which recognize “foremost distinction for excellence in the performing arts.”
WATCH BELOW: Michael J. Fox receives Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award
Buble, a singer-songwriter who was born in Burnaby, B.C., received the 2017 National Arts Centre (NAC) award, which recognizes “outstanding contributions by an individual artist or company in the past performance year.”
While accepting the award, Buble said he was “truly humbled” that he has been allowed to be one of Canada’s musical representatives, and that he received such an honour “during what has been an emotional and difficult time for my family.”
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Buble’s recognition came just over two months after his wife Luisiana Lopilato revealed that their three-year-old son Noah is recovering from a successful cancer treatment.
Buble and Lopilato revealed Noah’s diagnosis in November 2016.
Fox, meanwhile, received the 2017 Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award in broadcasting, after a career that has seen him play iconic roles in TV shows such as Family Ties and films such as the Back to the Future movies.
But Fox also became known for his humanitarian efforts after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 1991. He started the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research and became an advocate for people who live with the debilitating condition.
WATCH BELOW: Actor Martin Short receives Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award
Short also received a 2017 Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award in broadcasting.
The Hamilton-born comedian spent the early part of his career with The Second City improv group before starring on the show SCTV alongside performers such as John Candy, Andrea Martin, Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy.
Short subsequently went on to a film career and starred in titles such as Three Amigos, Father of the Bride and Inherent Vice.
But they weren’t the only ones who were honoured by the Governor General on Wednesday.
Also receiving performing arts awards were director and screenwriter Jean Beaudin, theatre director Brigitte Haentjens, indigenous theatre pioneer Yves Sioui Durand and entrepreneur William H. Loewen, who has been a patron of arts organizations such as the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO), the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and the Manitoba Opera.
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