Michael J. Fox receives Order of Canada highest civilian honor

Actor Michael J. Fox has been appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada, the nation’s highest civilian honor, during a ceremony at Rideau Hall. The award recognizes his acting career and his decades of advocacy for Parkinson’s disease research.

Fox, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s at age 29, founded the Michael J. Fox Foundation in 2000. The organization has raised an estimated $3 billion to fund research into the degenerative illness. This honor follows his receipt of the Presidential Medal of Freedom in the United States in early 2025, making him one of the few individuals to receive the top civilian decorations from both countries.

Singer Michael Bublé also paid tribute to the actor on social media, describing Fox as one of the ‘architects’ of his life. Bublé noted that watching Fox on screen as a child in Canada helped inspire his own professional dreams.