The Vimy Award is an award presented by the Conference of Defence Associations Institute (CDA Institute) to the “Canadian who has made a significant and outstanding contribution to the defence and security of Canada and the preservation of (its) democratic values". The "VIMY AWARD", a 1/4-scale statue of a World War I Officer by André Gauthier, was commissioned for the CDA Institute. The award, first presented in 1991, is given annually in November at a dinner held at the Canadian War Museum. The 2013 Vimy Award went to Brigadier-General Don Macnamara, a former President of the CDA Institute and member of CDA Institute’s Board of Directors; CDA is the sponsor of the Vimy Award since 1991. The Award honours the bravery and sacrifices of the Canadian soldiers who were victorious at the Battle of Vimy Ridge in April 1917.
Past winners
Past recipients of the Vimy Award are:
1991 Joe Clark, Right Honourable 1992 John de Chastelain, General 1993 Lewis MacKenzie, Major-General 1994 William Howard, Major-General 1995 Roméo Dallaire, Major-général 1996 Jack Granatstein, Doctor 1997 Brian Dickson, Right Honourable 1998 Larry Murray, Vice-Admiral 1999 Charles H. Belzile, Lieutenant-général 2000 Barnett Danson, Honourable 2001 Leonard Birchall, Air Commodore 2002 John Allen Fraser, Colonel, the Honourable 2003 Paul David Manson, General 2004 David Bercuson, Doctor 2005 Gordon Hamilton Southam 2006 David Fraser, Brigadier-General 2007 Ray Henault, General 2008 Rick Hillier, General 2009 William Kenneth MacDonald, Warrant Officer 2010 Adrienne Clarkson, Right Honourable 2011 Jonathan Vance, Major-General 2012 Federick Mannix, Honorary Colonel 2013 Don Macnamara, Brigadier-General (Ret’d) 2014 Blake Goldring, Honorary Colonel 2015 Hugh D. Segal