Mr. Matthew Fisher

The Conference of Defence Associations (CDA), in concert with the Canadian Defence & Foreign Affairs Institute (CDFAI), is pleased to announce that Mr. Matthew Fisher (holding award) has been chosen as the recipient of the 2007 Ross Munro Media Award. 

The Ross Munro Media Award was initiated in 2002 to recognize Canadian journalists who have made a significant and extraordinary contribution to increasing public understanding of Canadian defence and security issues. Recipients of the award have produced outstanding work regarding the efforts of the Canadian Forces in preserving Canadian democratic values (for more details see www.cda-cdai.ca). The award consists of a replica of the Ross Munro statue and a cheque for $2,500. Previous recipients of the Award are Stephen Thorne, Garth Pritchard, Sharon Hobson, Bruce Campion-Smith, and Christie Blatchford.
 
Matthew Fisher was born and raised in northwestern Ontario and in Ottawa, the son of parents who both served with Canadian forces in Europe during the Second World War. He is presently the Middle East correspondent for CanWest News and is currently on his 12th trip to Afghanistan. Mr. Fisher previously worked for the Globe and Mail and the Sun Media newspaper group.  He has worked abroad for 23 years, traveling to 153 countries and has reported on every Canadian Forces mission overseas since the mid-80s. He has reported on 14 wars including Chechnya and both Gulf wars and was the only Canadian to be embedded with a combat unit during the US-led 2003 invasion of Iraq - a Marine recon outfit that was involved in several major battles. He has returned to the war in Iraq six times since then.
 
The Ross Munro Media Award Selection Committee unanimously singled out Matthew Fisher from the other candidates based on “his superb battlefront coverage that has for years enlightened Canadians about the world they—and their servicemen and women—inhabit.  He is a brave warrior in his profession, whose reporting has been a model for others. We acknowledge, as well, the high esteem he has earned amongst the elite of his professional peers.”
 
The Selection Committee was chaired by Lieutenant-General (Ret’d) Richard J. Evraire, Chairman CDA. Members of the Selection Committee were Dr. J.L. Granatstein, Canadian Military Historian; Mr Hugh Winsor, Columnist for The Globe and Mail, Mr. Stuart Robertson, of O’Donnell, Robertson & Sanfilippo; and Colonel (Ret’d) Charles Keple, Vice-Chairman CDA, Public Affairs.
 
The Award will be presented at the CDA Institute’s Vimy Award Dinner, which will be attended by Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor-General of Canada and Patron of CDA. The Vimy Dinner is being held on Friday, November 16th, in the LeBreton Gallery of the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, Ontario.
 
Inquiries may be directed to Captain (ret’d) Peter Forsberg, Public Affairs Officer or Ms. Elizabeth Sneyd, CDA Institute Special Events Co-ordinator at:

TEL: (613) 236-9903 ~ FAX: (613) 236-8191 E-MAIL: pao@cda-cdai-ca ~ URL: http://www.cda-cdai.ca 

Left to right: Brigadier-General Robert S. Millar (Ret’d), President Canadian Defence & Foreign Affairs Institute, Mr. Garth Pritchard, and Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor-General of Canada.