Permission to Accept Foreign Honours

Summary#

The Canada Gazette notice of June 26, 2021 corrects two previously published award listings and publishes a list of Canadians who have been given permission to accept and wear Commonwealth and foreign honours. It is an erratum and a formal announcement recording those permissions.

What it does#

• Fixes two earlier entries:
  • Changes the earlier listing for Mr. Tony Sau-wo Yu from Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire to Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (Civil Division).
  • Corrects the name on a previous entry from Mr. Dereck Oikawa to Mr. Stephen Dereck Oikawa for the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays.
• Announces that unrestricted permission to accept and wear specified foreign and Commonwealth honours has been granted to a number of Canadians. Examples named in the notice include:
  • From the Government of the United Kingdom: Operational Service Medal for Iraq and Syria with Clasp to Captain Scott C. Stewart, C.D.
  • From the Government of the Kingdom of Denmark: Knight of the Royal Order of the Dannebrog to Mr. André Vautour
  • From the Government of the French Republic: several awards, including Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters to Mr. David Cronenberg, C.C., O.Ont., and other medals to artists and scholars.
  • From the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany: Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany to Ms. Margaret Atwood, C.C., O.Ont., C.H.
  • From the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the Government of the United States of America: a number of military decorations and medals to current and former Canadian armed forces members (for example, an Officer of the Legion of Merit, Second Award to Major-General Joseph Raymond Marc Gagné, O.M.M., M.S.C., M.S.M., C.D.).
• The full notice lists many individual recipients, mostly military members and people in arts and academia, and the specific honours they may now accept and wear.

Who's affected#

• The individual Canadians named in the notice (artists, academics, and many military personnel).
• Members of the Canadian Forces who received NATO or U.S. military decorations.
• More broadly, any Canadian who is tracking official permission to accept and wear a foreign or Commonwealth honour.

If you want to check a specific name or award, the Gazette notice contains the full list.

Why it matters#

• This is how the Canadian government records and approves Canadians receiving foreign honours.
• The permission lets recipients wear medals and insignia from other countries or organizations alongside Canadian honours when appropriate.
• The corrections make the public record accurate (correct name and correct level of the British honour).