Permission to Accept and Wear Foreign Honours

Summary#

On October 30, 2021, the Chancellery of Honours announced that, on behalf of The Queen, a group of Canadians were given permission to accept and wear honours from other countries. The notice lists the countries, the awards, and the named recipients.

What it does#

• Grants formal permission for the listed Canadians to accept and wear Commonwealth and foreign honours from other governments.
• Awards and recipients named in the notice include (selected examples):
  • United Kingdom: Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire to Nina Kong Vickie Yue; Operational Service Medal (Iraq and Syria) with clasp to Sergeant Timothy Walter Parkes Ellis, C.D. and Sergeant Patrick Edward Slack, C.D.
  • Commonwealth of Australia: Meritorious Unit Citation to Master Warrant Officer David Allan Joseph Kennedy, C.D. and Corporal Wayne George Tompkins (Retired)
  • Republic of Colombia: “Fe en la Causa” Military Medal (Extraordinary Category) to Brigadier‑General Nicolas Dan Stanton, O.M.M., M.S.M., C.D.
  • Republic of Finland: Commander of the Order of the Lion of Finland to Judith M. Romanchuk
  • French Republic: Commander of the National Order of Merit to Lieutenant‑General Wayne Donald Eyre, C.M.M., M.S.C., C.D.; Officer of the Order of the Arts and Letters to Michèle Maheux; National Defense Medals to other named military recipients.
  • Republic of Korea: Korea Service Medal to several named Canadian military members (including Lieutenant‑General Wayne Donald Eyre, C.M.M., M.S.C., C.D.).
  • United States of America: A range of military awards (e.g., Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal) were approved for many named Canadian Armed Forces members, including Colonel Denis Pierre Gerard Guy Boucher, O.M.M., C.D. and Major Gordon James Barr, C.D.
• The Gazette notice gives the full list of awards and all individual names.

Who's affected#

• The primary people affected are the specific Canadians named in the notice.
• Many of those named are serving or retired members of the Canadian Armed Forces.
• Some recipients are civilians recognized for cultural or other contributions.

Why it matters#

• This is a formal, public record that lets the named people accept and wear medals or honours from other countries.
• For recipients, it means official recognition of their service or achievements and the ability to display foreign decorations at public or ceremonial events.
• For the public, it shows which Canadians have received international recognition and documents international ties in military, diplomatic, and cultural fields.