Ottawa, Canada — Robert Lewis-Manning, vice-president of the Canadian Shipowners Association, was today invested as an Officer of the Order of Military Merit in a ceremony at Rideau Hall.
The Order of Military Merit was created in 1972, to recognize meritorious service and devotion to duty by members of the Canadian Forces. The Order has three levels of membership: Commander (C.M.M.), Officer (O.M.M.) and Member (M.M.M.).
Lewis-Manning was presented the insignia of the Order of Military Merit by Governor General David Johnston for outstanding meritorious services in duties of responsibility.
Lewis-Manning said: “I’m very humbled by this experience. So much of what I did as a senior officer in the Navy, was because I really loved it. There are so many members of the Navy that go beyond the regular call of duty. To me, this honour is really representative of a much wider group of dedicated people.”
Before his retirement from the Royal Canadian Navy last year, Lewis-Manning was the Commander of the HMCS Vancouver. Based in Victoria, Lewis-Manning was in charge of bringing the HMCS Vancouver and its crew to its highest state of readiness for deployment in Libya. As fleet manager on the West Coast for the navy, he was also involved with the planning of security in the marine environment in the run-up to the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.
Lewis-Manning, who is married with two children, was an active member of his Victoria community, refereeing minor hockey and instigating a number of major fundraising initiatives to aid earthquake victims in Haiti.
Following 23 “great years” in the Navy, Lewis-Manning, 44, relocated to Ottawa to join the Canadian Shipowners Association as vice-president of operations. The association advocates in the development of marine policy, regulations and operational matters for ship owners operating vessels on the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence Waterway, the Arctic and the eastern seaboard of the United States and Canada.
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Marine Delivers is a bi-national, industry collaboration that aims to demonstrate the positive economic and environmental benefits, safety, energy efficiency, and sustainability of the shipping industry throughout the Great Lakes-Seaway System. The Marine Delivers initiative is administered by the American Great Lakes Ports Association in the United States, and the Chamber of Marine Commerce in Canada. For more information, visit the Marine Delivers website at www.marinedelivers.com.
The Chamber of Marine Commerce (CMC) is a bi-national association that represents diverse marine industry stakeholders including major Canadian and American shippers, ports, terminals and marine service providers, as well as Canadian domestic and international ship owners. The Chamber advocates for safe, sustainable, harmonized and competitive policy and regulation that recognizes the marine transportation system's significant advantages in the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence, Coastal and Arctic regions.
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Jason Card
Chamber of Marine Commerce
jcard@cmc-ccm.com
(613) 447 5401