Orders, decorations, and medals of Canada

The provincial honours, as with some of their national counterparts, grant the use of post-nominal letters and or supporters and other devices to be used on personal coats of arms.

[2] Early governors of New France also desired to establish local honours in or import European honours to Canada; Samuel de Champlain, for instance, founded on 14 November 1606 the Order of Good Cheer (still extant today) and Charles de Montmagny had designs to establish the Sovereign Military Order of Malta in New France while he was governor from 1635 to 1648.

[11] This practice came into question in 1901, when Governor General the Earl of Minto nominated Thomas Shaughnessy for a knighthood, even after Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier (an opponent of Shaughnessy) expressed his opposition to the idea, leading Laurier in the following year to draft a policy whereby all nominees for honours be approved by the prime minister before being forwarded to Westminster.

[11] Later, the public began to suspect the worthiness of those receiving the knighthoods and elevations to the peerage; the controversy that surrounded the appointment of Sam Hughes as a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 1915 marked the beginning of the end of such honours in Canada.

After it was revealed in 1917 that British Prime Minister David Lloyd George had been selling peerage titles and knighthoods to raise money for his political party (Montreal Star owner Hugh Graham's elevation as the Baron Atholstan being granted seemingly without merit and against the advice of both Canadian Prime Minister Robert Borden and Governor General the Duke of Devonshire),[12] the awarding of such distinctions in Canada immediately ceased.

[13] Thereafter, the House of Commons of Canada in 1917 and 1919 passed the Nickle Resolutions, which, though never legally binding, generally cemented the cease of titular awards to Canadians.

There was uncertainty amongst officials in Canada and Britain alike around how to go about creating such an honour, and delays were incurred not only as Canadian bureaucrats interpreted the Nickle Resolution as applying to medals, but also because the King himself was widening the project to consider all the Empire police forces.

[13] In 1942, the Canada Medal was created by royal warrant of King George VI, though none was ever struck,[13] and the Canadian Forces' Decoration was founded in 1947.

[22] For example, the Queen Mother was appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada on only an honorary basis, though the Canadian Forces' Decoration awarded to her was substantive.

Should it meet these criteria, the notion is put before the Honours Policy Committee—a group of senior public servants, formed in 1980 within the Privy Council Office[28]—and then, if approved, is moved before the Cabinet for an order-in-council to be drawn up.

[28] Any future amendments to the honour's appearance or award criteria do not need the monarch's approval; the governor general will perform such tasks instead.

[22] In the Canadian structure, unlike its counterparts in Britain and other countries, nominees' names are put forward to the governor general by independent committees, which in turn receive nominations from the public, in an attempt to create a non-partisan process that avoids political controversy.

[2][38][39][40] Founded in 1902 by King Edward VII to recognise distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture,[41] the Order of Merit has one grade and carries with it only the post-nominal letters OM.

[42] Five Canadians have been appointed to the order: William Lyon Mackenzie King, Wilder Penfield, Lester B. Pearson, Jean Chrétien, and Margaret MacMillan.

[26] The Order of Military Merit (French: Ordre du mérite militaire) is a society of members of the Canadian Forces who have demonstrated dedication and devotion beyond the call of duty.

The order traces its origins to the Knights Hospitaller of the Crusades, who served the Abbey of St. Mary's small hospital for sick pilgrims in Jerusalem in the 12th century.

It was established in the United Kingdom in 1831 and given a royal charter by Queen Victoria in 1888,[56] and has existed in Canada in some form for many years,[57] but was only officially brought into the Canadian honours system in 1995.

They are similar to national orders, are created by the sovereign and conferred by her or her viceroy, and are worn on the left side of the jacket or dress.

[13] The military valour decorations were created on 2 February 1993 by Queen Elizabeth II, on the advice of her Cabinet under then-Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.

The Star of Military Valour (post-nominal letters SMV, French: Étoile de la vaillance militaire) was created as an award for Canadian Forces personnel who had demonstrated "distinguished and valiant service in the presence of the enemy.

It was only first presented in 2006, as Canada's participation in the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan created for the first time circumstances wherein one could carry out actions deserving of the Star of Military Valour.

[69] The Cross of Valour (post-nominal letters CV, French: Croix de la vaillance) is the highest ranking of the Canadian bravery decorations,[70] and is awarded for "acts of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme peril."

Originally reserved for members of the royal family, the chain is a distinct award conferred only upon the highest dignitaries, including foreign monarchs, heads of state, and high-ranking individuals.

Former Governors General Vincent Massey and Roland Michener were both given the RVC by Queen Elizabeth II; the second and third commoners to receive the honour.

The medal is also awarded posthumously to any member of the Canadian Forces who dies under honourable circumstances as a result of an injury or disease related to military service.

[84][85][86] Some were created specifically for Canada, such as the Canadian General Service Medal, which was issued in 1899 to recognise active participation in defending the country from the Fenian raids and later in suppressing the Red River Rebellion.

Until 1977, the practice for coronation and jubilee medals was for authorities in the United Kingdom to decide on a total number of medallions to be produced and allocate how many were to be distributed to each of the British Empire and Crown dependencies and possessions, and later Commonwealth of Nations countries.

So that all regions of the country are recognised equally, the federal, provincial, and civic governments all forward names to Rideau Hall, as do private organizations in the fields of the arts, sports, philanthropy, and charity.

[13] Other long service medals include: The Canadian provinces and territories each have their own internal honours system, though they differ in some ways from their federal counterpart.

State honours bestowed upon a Canadian by a foreign government must be approved by the governor general-in-Council before the insignia, decoration, or medal may be worn.