OTTAWA - Only a week ago, Conrad Black was joking that a Canadian reporter covering his fraud trial deserved an Order of Canada medal for jogging in a Chicago heat wave.
Whether Black had been reflecting on the fate of his own iconic snowflake-shaped medal wasn't clear, but others in Canada have begun debating whether he still merits the honour.
The NDP has submitted an official request to the Chancellery of Honours at Rideau Hall to have Black removed as officer of the Order of Canada now that he has been convicted of criminal offences. The newspaper tycoon was found guilty by a U.S. jury last week on three counts of fraud and one count of obstruction of justice.
NDP Heritage critic Charlie Angus said allowing Black to hold on to Canada's highest civilian honour undermines its integrity.
"It's a fundamental question of fairness,'' Angus said from Timmins, Ont.. "We look to the Order of Canada to recognize the highest achievement in Canadian life, and when someone falls below that standard by being convicted, in the past they've been removed from that Order.''
Black's leading defence lawyer, Edward Greenspan, said in an e-mailed statement that any move to strip Black of the order should would wait until the judicial process is completed.
"Since we have announced that there will be an appeal, the only appropriate thing to do is to await the result of the appeal before any motion about his Order of Canada should be brought,'' Greenspan said.
Black was originally inducted as an officer, the second highest level of the Order, for his achievements in commerce, literature and the arts, as well as charitable works. His business ventures have ''enhanced Canada's visible presence internationally,'' the announcement from his appointment read.
Rideau Hall spokesperson Marie-Paule Thorn said the office is unable to discuss the names of people who might be under consideration for termination of their Order of Canada.
Only two other recipients of the Order of Canada have ever been stripped of the honour since it was introduced in 1967.
Former hockey czar Alan Eagleson lost his in 1998, shortly after he was jailed on fraud charges connected to his leadership at the National Hockey League Players Association. He had worn the insignia on his lapel during court appearances in the United States and Canada.
Aboriginal leader David Ahenakew, once the chief of the Assembly of First Nations, had his appointment terminated in 2005 after he was found guilty of wilfully promoting hatred by a Saskatoon court. He had referred to Jews as a "disease.''
In the case of Ahenakew, Thorn said he was not removed from the Order until his court case had been resolved so as not to influence the proceedings. She was unable to say whether Black's appeal of his convictions would have any impact on the timing of the process.
That process for terminating someone's appointment to the Order of Canada is well detailed in the honour's constitution. Withdrawing the award is only considered if a person is convicted of a criminal offence, has been officially sanctioned, or has conducted themselves in a way that departs from public standards.
Any Canadian can approach the deputy secretary of the Chancellery of Honours, as Angus did, to request that a person's appointment be withdrawn. If the deputy secretary determines there are enough grounds, the case is forwarded to the secretary general and to a 11-member advisory council.
The council will conduct a study, and if they think there is a basis for the allegations, it will inform the person that his or her appointment is being reviewed for termination. The person can either voluntarily resign or make their own representations to the council.
Either way, the process goes forward and the council prepares a report with a recommendation for action to the Governor General.
Thorn said the Governor General stands by whatever decision the council makes.
The current chair of the council is Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin of the Supreme Court. Other members include Kevin Lynch, Clerk of the Privy Council, and performing artist Tom Jackson.
