2011 Symons Medallist:

Dr. Ivan Fellegi, former Chief Statistician of Canada

 

Canada’s Chief Statistician Emeritus, Dr. Ivan P. Fellegi, was awarded the 2011 Symons Medal and gave the 9th national Symons Lecture entitled: Statistics, public confidence and lessons from the 2011 Canadian Census.

Dr. Fellegi was Chief Statistician of Canada from 1985 to 2008, capping a 51-year career with Statistics Canada, widely regarded as one of the best statistical agencies in the world. Prime Minister Harper appointed him Chief Statistician Emeritus in 2008.

Dr. Fellegi was chair of the Conference of European Statisticians of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe from 1993 to 1997. He is Past President of the International Statistical Institute, the International Association of Survey Statisticians, and the Statistical Society of Canada; and past chair of the Board of Governors, Carleton University (1995-97).

Dr. Fellegi’s many awards and accolades include: Officer, Order of Canada; recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award of the Public Service of Canada; the Order of Merit of the Hungarian Republic; the Career Achievement Award of the Canadian Policy Research Initiative; La Médaille de la ville de Paris; Member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences; Gold Medal from the Statistical Society of Canada, and the Robert Schuman medal of the European Community.

He has published extensively on statistical methods, on the social and economic applications of statistics and on the successful management of statistical agencies.