As founder and president of the real estate development company Brigil, Ottawa native Gilles Desjardins exemplifies courage, hard work and commitment to the community. He has created a real estate development business solidly established in the National Capital Region.

Gilles Desjardins’ inspiring career started in 1985, when, at 19 years’ old and with the support of his father, he built his first six-unit residential building. Since then, Mr. Desjardins has transformed his vision into reality, building more than 14,000 residential units.  

Originally from Senegal, Boucar Diouf is a Quebec biologist, oceanographer and comedian. He currently has a career as a comedian, columnist and radio host, and in his sketches, he regularly deals with issues of integration, life in Africa and cultural differences.

After earning a master’s degree in biology from the Université de Dakar, Boucar Diouf moved to Quebec in 1991 to work on a PhD in oceanography at the Université du Québec à Rimouski.  

During her 15-year career as an international middle-distance runner, Ms. Hoffman competed in four Olympic Games, making the finals in the 800m in 1968 and 1972. She won medals at the Commonwealth Games, Pan American Games, and World Student Games, and won multiple national championships in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom.  

Roberta L. Jamieson is the former president and CEO of lndspire, Canada’s largest Indigenous charity. She is a Mohawk whose many achievements include being the first First Nations woman in Canada to earn a law degree, the first woman Ombudsman of Ontario and the first woman elected Chief of Six Nations of the Grand River. 

Born and raised in Ottawa, Canada, Alanis Morissette has been one of the most influential singer-songwriter-musicians in contemporary music. Her deeply expressive music and performances have earned vast critical praise and seven Grammy Awards.  Morissette's 1995 album JAGGED LITTLE PILL was a tour de force that changed the sound of pop music around the world.  It was followed by nine more eclectic and acclaimed albums. She has contributed musically to theatrical releases and has acted on the big and small screen.  

Professor Égide Royer is a psychologist who specializes in student success. He is a world-renowned expert in education whose research focuses on preventing academic failure and supporting youth who are struggling to adapt to school.  

After starting his career as a special-education teacher at a youth centre, Professor Royer went on to teach psychology at a CEGEP. He then worked for nearly a decade as a psychologist and head of preschool and accommodation services at a Portneuf school board.  

The Honourable Michael H. Tulloch was appointed Chief Justice of Ontario and President of the Court of Appeal for Ontario in 2022.  

Before this role, Chief Justice Tulloch served for 19 years as a judge. First, he spent nine years as a trial judge on the Superior Court of Justice, starting in September 2003. Then, in June 2012, he became an appellate judge on the Court of Appeal for Ontario, where he served for 10 years.