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 and, structure, creation and/or honours:
“With sixty staring me in the face, I have developed inflammation of the sentence structure and definite hardening of the paragraphs.”
—James Thurber (1894–1961)
“... the structure of our public morality crashed to earth. Above its grave a tombstone read, “Be tolerant—even of evil.” Logically the next step would be to say to our commonwealth’s criminals, “I disagree that it’s all right to rob and murder, but naturally I respect your opinion.” Tolerance is only complacence when it makes no distinction between right and wrong.”
—Sarah Patton Boyle, U.S. civil rights activist and author. The Desegregated Heart, part 2, ch. 2 (1962)
“If they had said that the sun or the moon had gone out of the heavens, it could not have struck me with the idea of a more awful and dreary blank in creation than the words: “Byron is dead!””
—Jane Welsh Carlyle (1801–1866)
“If a novel reveals true and vivid relationships, it is a moral work, no matter what the relationships consist in. If the novelist honours the relationship in itself, it will be a great novel.”
—D.H. (David Herbert)