Lynn Jones of Nova Scotia speaks by appointment in the Order of Canada

A well-known human rights activist from Nova Scotia has been made a member of the Order of Canada.

Last week, Governor General Mary Simon announced the newest members to receive the honor, including Lynn Jones, a veteran educator and labor organizer.

Jones is being nominated for “her leadership in the Canadian labor movement and in advancing equality, justice and human rights in her province and beyond,” according to a statement from Rideau Hall.

Jones recently spoke with Portia Clarke on CBC’s Information Morning Nova Scotia about what the honor means to her.

Their conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity and length.

Congratulations. How do you feel about all this?

I’m still in a daze, it still seems like it’s unbelievable, but it happened.

When did you first hear, even in a quiet way to keep it a secret?

I got a call from someone from the Governor General’s Department. They said, “Call us within the next two days. It’s important.” And I thought, “Oh my God, what could this be?” And then I said, “Well, you’re going to have to do it today, because I’m really tied up.” So they called the same day and said, “The Governor General would like to know if you will accept the Order of Canada.” And I said, “Well, have you found the right person?” I wanted to make sure.

I bet they get that a lot. People who receive this kind of honor often feel, I think, “Oh, me, really?” Even though you’ve received many awards for your work, Lynn, how is this one different for you?

There were a number of reasons why it was different. Only in Canada can you protest and challenge so many things the government is doing. And after you do all that, they turn around and say, “Oh by the way, would you accept this award for all you’ve done?” So it was quite incredulous that this happened.

It just took a while to sink in and also for me to decide. I didn’t immediately say yes.

Real?

Oh no. Because I had to think about what I’m doing. My protests, my activism. I’m thinking of things like reparations, [the government hasn’t] atoned for reparations. We have problems with housing, affordable housing.

I thought, yes, it’s okay. The acknowledgment you held to [these issues]you do this and maybe it will keep the government on its toes.

Fair enough, right? Because an award is nice, recognition is nice, but there are so many unresolved issues. So it sounds like you’ve reached a point of “I can accept the award and still hold the government accountable and keep pushing.”

Yes, that’s exactly what I’m trying to say.

Do you think the recognition for your work in the labor movement and extensively in the areas of equality, justice and human rights, as well as the recording of African Nova Scotian history in your records, encompasses and properly acknowledges the scope of your work? Even, as you say, the job is not quite done yet?

It almost seemed like the first cup was [about] work.

The person who called me said, “Oh, I’ve been researching and I’m quite amazed at all the different areas you’ve been involved in.” I said to myself, “Yeah, when I think about it, I’ve been.” There’s the environment, there’s the archiving, saving history, there’s the gentrification, I’m trying to save what’s left in my community. I thought, they have all these different things that I’m involved in or have been involved in. They happen to emphasize whatever it is that they felt [was important]. But it doesn’t take away from all the other things I’m pretty passionate about. I was also a little afraid of that in the beginning, that the other concerns would be pushed aside because the government focused on labor. But work is good too.

Will you speak to Governor General Mary Simon soon? When will the ceremony take place?

They said they had a backlog of issuing this certificate at Rideau Hall. In fact, they are years behind.

But that also suited me. It wasn’t high on my list. Fortunately, I spent a lot of time at Rideau Hall during my union days. We’ve met there many times, so it’s not like I’ve never been there. And the fact that there are some people for whom that would be very important, I actually said to her, “Look, if there are people for me, let them have their way and I can wait.”

It might give you a little more time to think about what you want to discuss with the Governor General in that minute you have when she hands over your order from Canada.

I’m looking forward to that because of her Aboriginal background.

I went to Elder Danny Paul’s wake last night and he, in the pictures there, was wearing his Governor General badge that they use. I looked at him and I thought, “You were such a giant elder, Danny Paul. And I feel so blessed and privileged to follow in your footsteps.”