A Turkish-Canadian senior public servant, lawyer and university Professor has been officially appointed to the Order of Canada, one of the Canada’s highest civilian honors.
Yaprak Baltacıoğlu happens to be Canada’s first female Deputy Minister of Agriculture and she served as a trusted advisor to four prime ministers before she retired in 2018.
The 61-year-old woman was born in Ankara, studied law in Istanbul University and relocated to Canada few decades ago where she commenced her illustrious career. She held many major senior positions as a Public Servant.
She was named as part of 61 Canadians to the 2020 Order of Canada by Governor General Julie Payette.
While reacting to the development, Baltacıoğlu tweeted: “This is the 40th year of making Canada my home. I am honored and humbled to be appointed to the Order of Canada. It is such a privilege to be a citizen of such a glorious country and I cherish having been given an opportunity to serve her.”
Baltacıoğlu is the third Turkish-Canadian to be appointed to the Order of Canada after Dr. Faud Sahin and Prof. Izak Benbasat.
