Ms. Christie Blatchford

19 September 2006, Ottawa.

The Conference of Defence Associations (CDA), in concert with the Canadian Defence & Foreign Affairs Institute (CDFAI), is pleased to announce that Ms. Christie Blatchford, a columnist with the Globe and Mail, has been chosen as the recipient of the 2006 Ross Munro Media Award. Matthew Fisher of CanWest News Services and Mitch Potter of the Toronto Star have also been awarded honourable mentions.

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, and Bruce Campion-Smith.

Ms. Blatchford was born in Rouyn-Noranda, Québec. She graduated from Ryerson Polytechnic (now Ryerson University) with a degree in journalism. While at Ryerson, she began working at the Globe and Mail as a copy editor. During her career, Ms. Blatchford has worked as a columnist and reporter for the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, the Toronto Sun, and the National Post. She returned to the Globe and Mail in 2002. She previously won the National Newspaper Award in 1999 for column writing.

The Ross Munro Media Award Selection Committee singled Ms. Blatchford out from the other candidates based on her compelling work on the Canadian Forces, particularly in Afghanistan: “Christie Blatchford brings to the theatre of hostilities her keen eye and curiosity. She writes superb prose that conveys the experience of the Canadians’ war in Afghanistan. She obviously understands the soldiers and she has grasped the comradeship that binds them together. She not only informs Canadians of today’s military realities, but champions values such as honour and sacrifice. She is exceptionally evocative, superbly descriptive, and develops a compelling storyline.”

The Selection Committee was chaired by Lieutenant-General (Ret’d) Richard Evraire, Chairman CDA. Members of the Selection Committee were Dr. Jack Granatstein, Canadian Military Historian; Mr. Peter Kent, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Global TV News and president of the Canadian War Correspondents Association; 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, 17 November 2006, in the Grand Hall of the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, Quebec. The Honourable Mention certificates will be presented at the luncheon during the CDA Institute’s Annual Seminar, 15 February 2007, at the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa.

If you have any questions, contact Peter Forsberg, Public Affairs Officer or Elizabeth Sneyd, CDA Institute Project Officer at:

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

The Ross Munro Media Award was initiated in 2002 by the Conference of Defence Associations (CDA) in collaboration with the Canadian Defence & Foreign Affairs Institute (CDFAI).

Centre to right: Ms. Christie Blatchford receiving the 2006 Ross Munro from  Brigadier-General Robert S. Millar (Ret’d), President Canadian Defence & Foreign Affairs Institute.