The Vanier Medal

Vanier Medal

About the Award

First presented in 1962, The Institute of Public Administration awards the Vanier Medal as a mark of distinction and exceptional achievement to a person who has shown distinctive leadership in public administration and public service in Canada, or who has made a significant contribution in the field of public administration or public service in Canada.

Georges Vanier, then Governor General of Canada, consented to have the medal known as "The Vanier Medal of the Institute of Public Administration of Canada."

A five member, independent panel of judges, appointed by the IPAC Board, reviews all nominations and makes the final determination of the medal recipient.

Key Dates

Nomination Deadline	March 31, 2021
Winner Announced	IPAC's 73rd Annual Conference in Gatineau, National Capital Region.

Nominations

To submit a nomination, fill this nomination form and submit it before the closing date.

Winner will be announced at the 2021 Annual Conference, held in Gatineau, National Capital Region

If you need to confirm receipt, please do not hesitate to contact us [email protected]

Media

Toronto, July 5, 2021

Today, Kelly Gillis, president of the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC), announced that the 2021 IPAC Vanier Medal will be awarded to Yaprak Baltacioğlu for her invaluable contributionsto public service.

The Vanier Medal is IPAC's highest form of recognition for Canadian public administrators. It was created in 1962 in honour of former governor general Georges P. Vanier. The medal is awarded annually to a person who has made significant contributions to, and has shown distinctive leadership in, the fields of public administration and public service in Canada.

"I am honoured and very grateful to receive the 2021 IPAC Vanier Medal," said Baltacioğlu, who was born in Turkey and came to Canada at the age of 21after earning a law degree at Istanbul University. "Serving my adopted country of Canada was the greatest honour of my life and it brings me great pleasure to be recognized for this service."

Winnipeg, August 20, 2019

Winnipeg, August 20, 2019 - Today at the IPAC Annual Conference the President elect, Gilles Levasseur, announcedthe 2019 IPAC Vanier Medal will be awarded to Janice M. Baker, City Manager for the City of Mississauga, for her invaluable contributions to public service in Canada.

Her nominator, Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie, noted "Janice is one of the most deserving people for this prestigious award. For 15 years she has provided steady and progressive leadership for the City of Mississauga through challenging times. Through her leadership, our City has grown into an economic powerhouse and a sought-after destination for people and business to locate. Her commitment to public service and professionalism are without equal, and as a result, she has the respect of everyone who works for her. Janice exemplifies what it means to be a public servant and her legacy will be felt throughout this corporation for many years to come. We are lucky to have her as City Manager and our City is better as a result of her tireless work."

Ms. Baker joined the City of Mississauga in May 1999 as Commissioner of Corporate Services and Treasurer and has served as Mississauga's City Manager and Chief Administrative Officer since 2005. Mississauga has grown to be Canada's sixth largest municipality, with over 770,000 residents and 90,000 businesses.

Québec, August 20, 2018

Today at the IPAC Annual Conference the President, Lucie Robitaille, announced the 2018 IPAC Vanier Medal will be awarded to Douglas Moen, who is currently Interim Executive Director at the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy at the Universities of Regina and Saskatchewan, for his contribution to Canadian public service.

His nominator, Honourable Brad Wall, former Premier of Saskatchewan, noted "It is difficult to imagine a candidate more deserving than Mr. Moen. As Deputy Minister to the Premier he led our efforts to renew and revitalize the Saskatchewan public service by embarking on an ambitious plan of public service renewal. These efforts enhanced the abilities of our public service to work as one team, support innovation and continuous improvement, and to increase our focus on serving our citizens. These improvements in public service delivery were achieved at a time when the size of the provincial public service was reduced by 15 per cent over four years. The legacy of his leadership will have lasting positive impacts on the people of Saskatchewan."

Mr. Moen joined the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy in November 2016, where he teaches graduate students and public servants about the workings of the public sector. From 2009 to 2016, Mr. Moen served as Deputy Minister to the Premier of Saskatchewan in Executive Council. Prior to that, he served for 7 years as Deputy Minister of Justice and Deputy Attorney General in Saskatchewan.

Read More

Dr. David Zussman, awarded the 2017 IPAC Vanier Medal

The 2017 IPAC Vanier Medal recipient is Dr. David Zussman (Read Bio), Dr. David Zussman is an Adjunct Professor at the School of Public Administration at the University of Victoria and a Senior Fellow in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa. David has held a number of different positions in Ottawa related to public policy and management. He was the first person to hold the Stephen Jarislowsky Chair in Public Sector Management at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA) at the University of Ottawa (2008- 2015). Prior to rejoining the University of Ottawa, David was Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of EKOS Research Associates and President of the Public Policy Forum (1996-2003).

Mr. James (Jim) R. Eldridge, awarded the 2016 IPAC Vanier Medal

The 2016 IPAC Vanier Medal recipient is Mr. James (Jim) R. Eldridge, former Clerk of the Executive Council and Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Relations, Government of Manitoba for his contribution to Canadian public service.

Halifax, NS - August 2015

At the Institute's 67th Annual Conference held in Halfiax this August, Mr. Wayne Wouters, was announced as the year's Vanier Medal Recipient, as former Clerk and Secretary to Cabinet of the Privy Council.