Order Of

The Order of Canada (French: Ordre du Canada ) is an honour for merit that is, within the Canadian system of honours, the highest such order administered by the Governor General-in-Council, on behalf of the Queen of Canada. Created in 1967, to coincide with the centennial of Canadian Confederation, the three-tiered order was established as a fellowship that recognizes the achievement of outstanding merit or distinguished service by Canadians, through life-long contributions in every field of endeavour, and who made a major difference to Canada, as well as the efforts made by non-Canadians who have made the world better by their actions. Membership is thus accorded to those who exemplify the order's Latin motto, taken from Hebrews 11:16, desiderantes meliorem patriam , meaning "they desire a better country."

The Canadian monarch, at present Elizabeth II, is Sovereign of the order, and the serving Governor General, currently Michaëlle Jean, is its Chancellor and Principal Companion. Appointees into the order are selected by an advisory board and formally inducted by the Governor General; as of July 2009, 5,657 people have been appointed to the Order of Canada, including musicians, politicians, artists, athletes, businessmen, television and film stars, benefactors, and others. Since 1994, substantive members are the only regular citizens who are empowered to administer the Canadian Oath of Citizenship.

Creation

The process of founding the Order of Canada began in early 1966 and came to a conclusion on 17 April 1967, when the organisation was instituted by Queen Elizabeth II, on the advice of her then Canadian Prime Minister, Lester B. Pearson, who was assisted with the establishment of the order by John Matheson. The association was then officially launched on 1 July 1967, the 100th anniversary of the formation of Canadian Confederation, with Governor General Roland Michener being the first inductee to the order – to the level of Companion – and on 7 July of the same year, 90 more people were appointed, including Vincent Massey, Louis St. Laurent, Hugh MacLennan, David Bauer, Gabrielle Roy, Donald Creighton, Thérèse Casgrain, Wilder Penfield, Arthur Lismer, and Maurice Richard. During a visit to London, United Kingdom, later in 1967, Michener presented the Queen with her Sovereign's badge for the Order of Canada, and she first wore it during a banquet in Yellowknife in July 1970.

From the Order of Canada grew a larger Canadian honours system, thereby reducing the use of British honours (i.e. those administered by the Queen in her British Privy Council), the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire and the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George being the main ones used for Canadians. Other non-British Commonwealth realms were soon inspired to follow suit; Jamaica being the first in 1968, and by the 1980s, Canada's provinces began to develop their own distinct honours and decorations.

Grades

The Canadian monarch, seen as the fount of honour, is at the apex of the Order of Canada as its Sovereign, followed by the Governor General, who serves as the fellowship's Chancellor. Thereafter follow three grades, which are, in order of precedence: Companion , Officer , and Member , each having accordant post-nominal letters that members are entitled to use; each incumbent Governor General is also installed as the Principal Companion for the duration of their time in the viceregal post. Promotions in grade are possible, though this is ordinarily not done within five years of the initial appointment, and a maximum of five honorary appointments into either of the three grades may be made by the Governor General each year; to date, there have been eighteen honorary appointments to non-Canadian citizens.

There were originally, in effect, only two ranks to the Order of Canada: Companion and the Medal of Service. There was, however, also a third award, the Medal of Courage, meant to recognize acts of gallantry. This latter decoration fell in rank between the other two levels, but was anomalous within the Order of Canada, being a separate award of a different nature rather than a middle grade of the order. Without ever having been awarded, the Medal of Courage was on 1 July 1972 replaced by the autonomous Cross of Valour, and, at the same time, the levels of Officer and Member were introduced, with all existing holders of the Medal of Service created as Officers. Lester Pearson's vision of a three-tiered structure to the order was thus fulfilled.

Companion

Main article: List of Companions of the Order of Canada

Companions of the Order of Canada (post-nominals: CC , in French: Compagnon de l'ordre du Canada ) have demonstrated the highest degree of merit to Canada and humanity, on either the national or international scene. Up to 15 Companions are appointed annually, with an imposed limit of 165 living Companions at any given time, save for those appointed in an honorary capacity. The constitution of the Order of Canada also specifies that the reigning monarch, the incumbent Governor General and his or her spouse, and former viceroys and viceregal consorts are to be included as Companions of the order, though these individuals also do not count towards the 165 person maximum. As of July 2009, there were 170 living Companions, including four honorary.

Officer

Officers of the Order of Canada (post-nominals: OC , in French: Officier de l'ordre du Canada ) have demonstrated an outstanding level of talent and service to Canadians, and up to 64 may be appointed each year, save for those inducted on an honorary basis, with no limit to how many may be living at one time. As of July 2009, there were 1,012 living Officers, including four honorary.

Member

Members of the Order of Canada (post-nominals: CM , in French: Membre de l'ordre du Canada ) have made an exceptional contribution to Canada or Canadians at a local or regional level, group, field or activity. As many as 136 Members may be appointed annually, save for those inducted on an honorary basis, and there is no limit on how many Members may be living at one time. As of July 2009, there were 2,037 living Members, including four honorary.

Insignia

Upon admission into the Order of Canada, members are gifted various insignia of the organization, all designed by Bruce W. Beatty, who "broke new ground in the design of insignia of Orders within The Queen's realms," and himself was made a member of the order in 1990; as of 2004, Beatty has been in attendance at every investiture ceremony since 1967. The badge belonging to the Sovereign consists of a jewelled, 18kt gold crown of rubies, emeralds, and sapphires, from which is suspended a white, enamelled, hexagonal snowflake design, with six equal leaves and diamonds between each. At the centre is a disc bearing a maple leaf in pavé-laid rubies on a white enamel background, surrounded at its edge by a red enamel ring (annulus) bearing the motto of the order. The Chancellor wears the badge of a Companion, though is also, upon installation as Governor General, granted a livery collar for wear at Order of Canada investiture ceremonies; this is composed of an alternating pattern of white, stylized snowflakes and the same central disks from the Companion logo, and supports an enamel rendition of the shield of the Royal Arms of Canada, from which the Governor General's badge is suspended.

The badges for inductees are of a similar design to the sovereign's badge, though without precious stones, and slight differences for each grade. For Companions, the emblem is gilt with a red enamel maple leaf in the central disk; for Officers, it is gilt with a gold maple leaf; and for Members, both the badge itself and the maple leaf are silver. All are topped by a St. Edward's Crown, symbolizing that the order is headed by the sovereign, and the reverse is plain except for the word CANADA . The ribbon is white and bordered in red stripes, similar to the Canadian national flag; the chest ribbon is the same for each grade, save for a metallic maple leaf in the centre, the colour of which matches that on the badge of the grade that the wearer was appointed to. For civilian wear, a lapel pin is worn on the jacket, which is designed as a miniature of the medallion.

Wear of the insignia is according to guidelines issued by the Chancellery of Honours, which stipulate that the badges be worn before all those of other national orders – that is, at the far right end of an individual's medal bar or at the wearer's neck – with only the Victoria Cross and the Cross of Valour permitted to be worn before the badge of the Order of Canada, as well as the insignia of the Order of Merit. Those in the grades of Companion or Officer may wear their badges on a neck ribbon, while those in the Member group display their insignia suspended by a ribbon from a medal bar on the left chest. Proto

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