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Diamond goes to Ottawa

Order of Canada
diamond
Charlotte Diamond with Governor General Johnston.

Musician, songwriter and teacher Charlotte Diamond has been named a Member of the Order of Canada. 

She and her husband Harry were in the process of moving from their home in Richmond into a house in Sandy Hook they had fallen in love with and bought 20 years ago. Amid the confusion of packing and unpacking in July, Diamond slipped and fell, cracking her collar bone. She was instructed to relax and heal, a difficult task for one so active. 

In the midst of all this, she got the call from the Governor General’s office to say she would be travelling to Ottawa to receive her investiture as a Member in the Order of Canada on Aug. 25. She had known about the honour for nearly a year, but was not allowed to announce it and she thought her ceremony would be far in the future. 

But everything worked out well. 

“Ottawa was beautiful in August,” Diamond said. Keeping her right arm in a sling and covering it with a pashmina, she received her honour along with 30 other Members, 13 Officers and one Companion, author Michael Ondaatje, who she was happy to meet. His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, very kindly shook her left hand instead of her right before awarding her an insignia. 

The GG’s office announcement said: “Over the past 30 years, Charlotte Diamond has made an enduring contribution to Canadian children’s music. A singer, songwriter and entertainer, she has engaged children with her gentle melodies and catchy tunes that get them singing, dancing and learning in English, French and Spanish.” They also noted her involvement with literacy and learning and her role as ambassador for UNICEF. 

Diamond worked as a teacher for 12 years, ten of them at a New Westminster secondary school. “I used French Canadian folk songs,” she said, “and got the students up and dancing.” She formed a choir at school and taught choral music and guitar. Popular songs from her many albums include the memorable I Am a Pizza and its French and Spanish translations. 

Created in 1967, the Order of Canada is one of the country’s highest civilian honours that recognizes outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation. Diamond enjoyed the ceremony in the morning and a gala dinner that evening that allowed her to meet others in the arts. 

“It piqued my interest as to what Canadians are doing,” Diamond said, “and what issues they were facing: First Nations, children at risk …” 

The next day 1,500 people gathered in the gardens of Rideau Hall to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Order of Canada. Former Governors General were invited and the Governor General-designate, astronaut and engineer Julie Payette, was introduced. 

“This award is also for my family,” Diamond said, “and my great friends who said, ‘Take that risk, Charlotte. Go for it!’” Expect to hear a song on the subject of friends in the near future.