Mike Wallace awarded the Order of the Rising Sun by the Japanese Embassy in Canada. Beats the Burlington chain of office he wants to wear.

By Staff

July 23rd, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

Former Conservative MP and Burlington mayoral candidate Mike Wallace has been awarded the Order of the Rising Sun by the Japanese Embassy in Canada.

Mike Wallace with Japan’s Order of The Rising Sun Award July 2018. This is a very significant award.

The award puts him among 140 foreign nationals named earlier this year to the award of civil and military merit. The Ontario MP represented Burlington from 2006 to 2015 and is now running for mayor of the city in this October’s municipal race. He was previously elected four times to the Burlington city council before entering federal politics. Wallace was presented the award in a private ceremony at the Japanese Embassy in Ottawa.

When Japanese Ambassador to Canada Kimihiro Ishikane presented the medals in July, Wallace had a strong cheering squad, with his wife Caroline, parents, sister and former staff all at the ambassador’s Rockcliffe Park residence.

“I am deeply honoured by this award,” Wallace said. “It is the Japanese version of Canada’s Order of Canada.”

Wallace’s fellow award 2018 award winners include former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, U.S senators Robert Corker and John McCain, among others.

Wallace “contributed to promoting parliamentary relations and friendship between Japan and Canada,” as an MP and former co-chair of the Canada-Japan Inter-Parliamentary Group, the 2018 medal list document said.

He was named co-chair of the group in 2011 after serving on the group’s executive five years before that. At the time he said he wanted Canada to pursue an active diplomatic relationship with Japan.

Japan was especially grateful for the leadership Wallace demonstrated in coordinating Canada’s response to the 2015 Fukishima disaster.

Burlington’s Chain of Office, worn by the Mayor when he chairs council meetings and at Official events.

“I want to follow our community’s lead in solidifying both economic and cultural ties with Japan as we have done locally with our sister city, Itabashi, Japan,” he said.

The Order of the Rising Sun outranks the Burlington Chain of Office.  Would Wallace wear both – assuming he wins the election.