Jan 27, 2009
Among the Order of Canada appointments made during 2008 were three Hungarian Canadians. In the December 2008 list, Peter Munk, who had been named to the Order in 1993, was promoted to the highest of the three levels, Companion of the Order of Canada. Mr Munk was born in Hungary and was rescued as a teenager together with his family from the Holocaust in Hungary. Read his story in Anna Porter’s book, Kasztner’s Train: The True Story of Rezso Kasztner, Unknown Hero of the Holocaust.
He arrived in Canada in 1947, received his education in Toronto and became one of Canada’s pre-eminent businessmen and philanthropists. He is Founder and Chairman of Barrick Gold, one of the largest mining companies in the world. His citation for the honour reads:
“For his contributions as an entrepreneur and a philanthropist, helping to establish world-class health care and education institutions in Canada and abroad.”
The other two Hungarian Canadians, Professor Dezso Horvath and Dr Rudolph Kriegler, were named in the July 2008 list and they both came to Canada after 1956.