Special Service Medal rules amended

Summary#

Letters patent issued on May 16, 2024 amend the Special Service Medal Regulations. The changes expand who can get the medal, set how recipient details and bars are shown, and update rules for wearing bars and ribbon devices.

What it does#

• Repeals two definitions in section 2 of the Special Service Medal Regulations.
• Changes engraving rules so the medal’s rim will normally show the recipient’s service/regimental number, rank, initials and surname (or given names and surname for civilians), except where the medal already bears the Royal crown and cypher of Queen Elizabeth II.
• Says the Medal is to be awarded with a Bar that the Governor in Council specifies to represent the particular special service.
• Replaces the eligibility rule (section 5) to say a person is eligible if they served at the initiative, by nomination or with the agreement of the Government of Canada and fall into one of these categories on or after April 29, 2014:
  • members of the Canadian Forces who performed “special service” the Governor in Council decides merits recognition;
  • members of an allied force who worked as an integral part of the Canadian Forces (including exchange participants) and otherwise meet the Canadian Forces criteria;
  • people sworn as police officers by a recognized Canadian police force who performed qualifying special service;
  • members of an allied police force who worked as an integral part of a Canadian police force (including exchange participants) and otherwise meet the police criteria;
  • Canadian citizens employed by the Crown (or staff of the Non-Public Funds, Canadian Forces, or people under contract with the Government of Canada) — other than members of the Canadian Forces or sworn police — who performed qualifying special service.
• Replaces the wearing rules (section 10) to:
  • have the Medal worn on the left breast in the order of precedence determined by the Governor in Council;
  • require one Bar to be centred on the ribbon and multiple Bars to be spaced in the order earned (first Bar closest to the Medal);
  • set ribbon devices for the undress ribbon: a silver maple leaf for a second Bar, a gold maple leaf for a third Bar, and a red maple leaf for a fourth Bar; combinations of leaves indicate more than four Bars.

Who's affected#

• Members of the Canadian Forces who may be considered for this medal.
• Members of allied forces and allied police forces who worked as an integral part of Canadian military or police units (including exchange personnel) on or after April 29, 2014.
• People sworn as police officers by a recognized Canadian police force.
• Canadian citizens employed by the Crown or under contract with the federal government (excluding military and sworn police) and staff of Non-Public Funds who did qualifying work on or after April 29, 2014.
• Families of recipients, unit award offices, and people who manage medals and records will also notice the changes (engraving rules, how multiple awards are shown).

Why it matters#

• The amendment broadens and clarifies who can receive the Special Service Medal, so more people who worked closely with Canadian forces or police — including some allied personnel and civilian government employees — may be eligible for recognition.
• It standardizes how recipient information is recorded on the medal and how multiple awards are displayed, which affects how medals look and how service is documented.
• The rule that qualifying service must be on or after April 29, 2014 is an important cutoff for who can be considered now.
• What counts as “special service” is still decided by the Governor in Council, so eligibility depends on government decisions about which operations or duties meet that threshold.