Remarks by
The Honourable
Iona Campagnolo,
pc, cm, obc
Lieutenant Governor
of British Columbia
Investiture of Mr. John Turvey Into the Order of Canada
On behalf of Her Excellency the Governor General
Comox Recreation Centre
Comox, BC
06/03/24
Honourary Aide de Camp: Captain Louise Forget.
Honouree John Turvey and Deborah Mearns, proud supporters and friends:
I am very pleased to be able to ‘stand-in’ today for Her Excellency, the Right Honourable Michelle Jean, Governor General of Canada, the Principle Companion of the Order, who as you are all aware, is half a continent away and who generally makes these Awards, linking our citizens together from coast to coast to coast through The Order of Canada.
The Order was created in Canada’s in honour in the Centennial Year of 1967 and during the intervening 39 years has become the centerpiece of Canada’s Honours System. Through this medal, we demonstrate profound respect and indebtedness to those who are exemplars of our national principles and values. People like John Turvey who have demonstrated qualities of Canadian Citizenship and who have enriched the lives of other than themselves. As a Member of the Order of Canada, this Medal signifies collective national respect and pays particular tribute to individual citizens for making a positive difference in the lives of fellow Canadians.
Photo compliments of MCpl Rebecca Bell, 2 i/c Wing Imaging, 19 Wing Comox
John Turvey’s story begins with his being an addict at the age of 13, but by his early 20’s he commanded the strength to give up drugs and become one of the most compelling and outspoken advocates against drug abuse in this province. Just two years ago, in my capacity as Lieutenant Governor of our Province that I had the privilege of meeting and awarding John Turvey with the Order of British Columbia. At that time, the Turvey’s were in the process of moving here to the Comox Valley and we were able to salute John’s quite remarkable decision to use the story of his youth to assist marginalized Youth to change their lives. He founded the not-for-profit Downtown Eastside Youth Activities Society that for 20 years provided individual young people, one at a time with services, educational assistance and other support systems to strengthen their lives.
A Youth Outreach umbrella of 4 separate services helped young people overcome health homelessness and effects of the sex trade and unemployment. The Youth Action Centre drop-in was a place for young people on the streets to get a nutritious meal and warm clothing, while the Youth Detox area provided withdrawal management services for young people from 13 to 21 years of age in a home-like residential atmosphere 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and the Lifeskills program gave training to overcome unemployability. These aspects of the Downtown Eastside Youth Activities Society (DEYAS) programs are the essence of John Turvey’s gift to young people and to this Province and to Canada.
By challenging all orders of government, John Turvey was fearless in his belief that only by squarely facing all the attendant factor in the tragedies and trauma of drug addiction could positive change be realized. Few of us live to see our work realized in terms of law and applied through adjustments to the culture. John Turvey’s was a voice that was heard! The still revolutionary ‘needle-exchange’ program for which Vancouver and 4 Pillars approach to Harm Reduction are an off-shoot of this greater understanding of the issues surrounding drug use.
Photo compliments of MCpl Rebecca Bell, 2 i/c Wing Imaging, 19 Wing Comox
Aspects of what is called ‘harm reduction’ in the matter of drug abuse continue to evolve as we speak and as we honour John Turvey today. John is a man who has been instrumental in raising consciousness on the subject of drug addiction but perhaps more importantly he has taken action to change issues surrounding the use of drugs. He has brought attention to the needs of those addicted and to the needs of their families and loved ones, as well as to the communities they share. An award winner recently said on accepting recognition that most of us are just trying to ‘make a difference’ in this world. By installing John Turvey in the Order of Canada today, we are saying that John has made a difference, that he has fostered the development of health and dignity amongst those who our society too often overlooks or deliberately avoids. Working together with a host of community organizations in addition to the City of Vancouver, the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, the BC Ministry of Human Resources, and the Vancouver Police Department, John Turvey has contributed positively through a blunt combination of truth and determination, coupled with his own personal experience that HAS combined to bring about beneficial change.
Holders of this most distinguished medal that any Canadian can receive, share similar patterns of contributing to the common good of our shared society. The medal is defined by a six - pointed white enamelled snow-flake, superimposed with Canada’s Maple Leaf and surmounted by St. Edward’s Crown symbolizing Canada’s constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. The medals are proudly suspended from Canada’s national red and white colours. This is a medal for those to whom our country owes a debt of gratitude and awarded to those for whom the country can not express its thanks in any other way. Those who wear this medal have made a positive difference in our shared society and they embody in themselves and in their acts an essential spirit of this proud and precious country.
Nation-building is encapsulated within the Motto of the Order that bears repeating today: ‘DESIDERANTES MILIOREM PATRIAM’: “They who desire a better country”!
I know that John Turvey not only desires a better country but has worked hard to achieve it. Today we celebrate John’s life and his work and courage that have created a singularly important service to Canada. With your inclusion as a Member of the Order of Canada, John Turvey, I express a very heartfelt THANK YOU with our very good wishes and respect from all your fellow citizens!
Photo compliments of MCpl Rebecca Bell, 2 i/c Wing Imaging, 19 Wing Comox