Structure and The Creation of Honours
All honours in Canada emanate from the country's monarch, who is regarded as the fount of honour; only he or she may create new honours, though this is generally done on the advice of the sitting ministers of the Crown. The sovereign's representative in Canada, the governor general, administers most of the honours system through the Chancellery of Honours, which is a part of the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General of Canada. The governor general also sets out, via Order in Council, the order of precedence for the wearing of insignia, decorations, and medals.
The momentum to create a new honour typically originates at either the Chancellery of Honours or the Department of National Defence, though private organisations or individuals may also make proposals. The chancellery will investigate whether or not the suggested honour is necessary and if it will conform within the national honours structure. 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—and then, if approved, is moved before the Cabinet for an Order in Council to be drawn up. On the prime minister's advice, via the governor general, the documents and drawings for the new honour are presented to the Queen for her consideration; only with her signature on the relevant letters patent and the design sketches does the new honour officially become extant. 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.
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. Most orders have a unique advisory committee, consisting of individuals relevant to the scope of the particular order, all appointed by the governor general or a delegate; for instance, the Advisory Committee for the Order of Military Merit has six members: one appointed by the governor general, four by the chief of the Defence Staff, and the chief of the Defence Staff him or herself. There are also advisory councils or committees for decorations in general and for valour decorations, specifically. The Secretary to the Governor General will usually serve as secretary general to many of these boards.
The Canadian honours system also includes two dynastic orders—the Order of Merit and the Royal Victorian Order—and one personal award of the sovereign—the Royal Victorian Chain. These were created by the sovereign alone and inductions and presentations are at his or her personal discretion.
Read more about this topic: Orders, Decorations, And Medals Of Canada
Famous quotes containing the words structure, creation and/or honours:
“The verbal poetical texture of Shakespeare is the greatest the world has known, and is immensely superior to the structure of his plays as plays. With Shakespeare it is the metaphor that is the thing, not the play.”
—Vladimir Nabokov (1899–1977)
“Humility like darkness reveals the heavenly lights. The shadows of poverty and meanness gather around us, “and lo! creation widens to our view.””
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Vain men delight in telling what Honours have been done them, what great Company they have kept, and the like; by which they plainly confess, that these Honours were more than their Due, and such as their Friends would not believe if they had not been told: Whereas a Man truly proud, thinks the greatest Honours below his Merit, and consequently scorns to boast. I therefore deliver it as a Maxim that whoever desires the Character of a proud Man, ought to conceal his Vanity.”
—Jonathan Swift (1667–1745)