The orders, decorations, and medals of the Canadian provinces, in which each

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

has devised a system of

orders Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

and other

awards An award, sometimes called a distinction, is something given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An award ...

to honour residents for actions or deeds that benefit their local community or province, are in turn subsumed within the

Canadian honours system Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

. Each province sets its own rules and criteria for eligibility and also for how each award is presented. Most of the awards allow for the recipients to wear their awards in public, and most grant the recipients the use of

post-nominal letters Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials, post-nominal titles, designatory letters or simply post-nominals, are letters placed after a person's name to indicate that the individual holds a position, academic degree, accreditation, ...

after their names. Not all of the awards listed below are part of the Canadian honours system, thus some of them may not be worn or court mounted with awards that are part of the Canadian honours system.

Development

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

was the first province to establish an award that was distinct to the province: the Dogwood Medallion, created in 1957 for the centennial of the province and its preceding

Colony of British Columbia The Colony of British Columbia refers to one of two colonies of British North America, located on the Pacific coast of modern-day Canada: *Colony of British Columbia (1858–1866) *Colony of British Columbia (1866–1871) See also *History of Br ...

, and reformed into the Order of the Dogwood in 1966. After the establishment of the

in 1967, the rest of the provinces, recognizing the Crown's distinct operation within each provincial jurisdiction, moved to establish their own honours after Ottawa declined to do so on their behalf.

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

was the first, creating the

Ontario Medal for Good Citizenship The Ontario Medal for Good Citizenship is a provincial medal of merit that is awarded in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was established by the Government of Ontario in 1973 to recognize people who, through exceptional long-term efforts, hav ...

in 1973, and the Police and Firefighter's Bravery Medals in 1975 and 1976, respectively.

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

followed with the Alberta Order of Excellence in 1979.

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

was the first province to establish a true order: '' l'Ordre national du Quebec'' in 1984. The Saskatchewan Order of Merit was established in 1985. The

Order of Ontario The Order of Ontario () is the most prestigious official honour in the Canadian province of Ontario. Instituted in 1986 by Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier David Peterson, the civilian order is adm ...

came in 1986, the

Order of British Columbia The Order of British Columbia (french: Ordre de la Colombie-Britannique) is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Instituted in 1989 by Lieutenant Governor David Lam, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier B ...

in 1989 (which replaced the Order of the Dogwood), the Order of Prince Edward Island in 1997, the

Order of Manitoba The Order of Manitoba (french: Ordre du Manitoba) is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Instituted in 1999 when Lieutenant Governor Peter Liba granted Royal Assent to The Order of Manitoba Act, the order is administe ...

in 1999, and the Order of Nova Scotia, of New Brunswick, and of Newfoundland and Labrador in 2001. However, the federal government did not recognize these honours and decorations, fearing duplications and citing the fact that, aside from the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Queen had not authorized them. The provinces responded by stating that since provincial ministers did not constitutionally have the right to advise the sovereign directly, they would do so via legislation under the prerogative of the provincial Crown. The federal government finally came to recognize provincial orders after a compromise was reached between

Governor General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

Ray Hnatyshyn and

Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan The lieutenant governor of Saskatchewan () is the Viceroy, viceregal representative in Saskatchewan of the , who Monarchy in Saskatchewan, operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the Canadian federalism, ten other ...

Sylvia Fedoruk, wherein provincial honours established by legislation or order in council would be ranked below all national honours, but above national decorations.Jackson, Michael; ''Canadian Monarchist News'': Golden Jubilee and Provincial Crown; Winter/Spring, 2003

Provincial and territorial orders

}) Presented in three grades: * Grand Officer (''grand officier'' - shown right) * Officer (''officier'') * Knight (''chevalier'') , 1984 , , G.O.Q.
O.Q.
C.Q. , 69 (''G.O.Q.'')
195 (''O.Q.'')
324 (''C.Q.'') , - , Saskatchewan Order of Merit , 1985 , , S.O.M. , 122 , - , colspan="5" style="text-align:center;" bgcolor="LightGray", ''Territorial'' , - ,

Order of the Northwest Territories The Order of the Northwest Territories (french: Ordre des Territoires du Nord-Ouest) is a civil honour for merit in the Canadian territory of the Northwest Territories. Instituted in 2013, it is the highest honour which can be bestowed by the Gove ...

, 2013 , , O.N.W.T. , 20 , - , Order of Nunavut , 2010 , , O.Nu. , 17 , - ,

Order of Yukon Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

, 2018 , , O.Y. , 10 In all provinces except Quebec, the provincial honours are presented by the relevant Lieutenant Governor. The territorial honours are presented by their respective

Commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to in ...

. Most provincial orders only have one grade, or level, which is membership. The only province that has a multi-level order system is

: the National Order of Quebec has three grades (in descending order of grade): Grand Officer (GOQ), Officer (OQ), and Knight (CQ). The

Canadian Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...

has listed the following orders to be worn in the following manner: National Order of Quebec, Saskatchewan Order of Merit, Order of Ontario, Order of British Columbia, Alberta Order of Excellence, Order of Prince Edward Island, Order of Manitoba, Order of New Brunswick, Order of Nova Scotia and the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador. However, the CF has stated that while this is the order of sequence on a ribbon bar, it is unlikely or even impossible that a member will receive a medal or an order from all Canadian provinces.National Defence: Canadian Forces Honours and Awards Chart
/ref> Various people who have been awarded provincial orders have been presented with national decorations and orders, such as the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

. An example of this would be

Gordon Lightfoot Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. (born November 17, 1938) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music. He is credited with helping to define the folk-pop sound of the 1960 ...

being awarded the Order of Ontario. Lightfoot is also a Companion of the Order of Canada. Each province has a limit on how many can be awarded with their order per year: Ontario places no limit on the number that can be distributed (although it is usually around 25),

and

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

are limited to 10 inductees each year, and the territories limit theirs to 3 per year.

Provincial medals

* Medals that are followed by the + symbol are not part of the official

Saskatchewan

Commemorative Medal for the Centennial of Saskatchewan The Commemorative Medal for the Centennial of Saskatchewan, also called the Saskatchewan Centennial Medal, is a commemorative medal struck to celebrate the first 100 years since Saskatchewan's entrance into Canadian Confederation. The medal recog ...

Saskatchewan Volunteer Medal The Saskatchewan Volunteer Medal (SVM) is a civil decoration for volunteers in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, introduced in 1995 by the Government of Saskatchewan. Prior to the establishment of the medal volunteerism could be recognized b ...

(SVM) * Saskatchewan Protective Services Medal + * Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal (Saskatchewan)

Ontario

(OMC) * Ontario Medal for Police Bravery * Ontario Medal for Firefighters Bravery * Ontario Provincial Police Long Service and Good Conduct Medal * Ontario Fire Services Long Service Medal + * Ontario Award for Paramedic Bravery + * Ontario Medal for Young Volunteers + *

OBM Progress Medal The Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines (MENDM) was the ministry responsible for developing a safe, reliable and affordable energy supply across the province, overseeing Ontario’s mineral sector and promoting northern economic an ...

British Columbia

* British Columbia Fire Services Long Service and Bravery Medals * British Columbia Medal of Good Citizenship (MGC) +

Alberta

* Alberta Law Enforcement Long Service Medal + * Alberta Emergency Services Medal + * Alberta Centennial Medal * Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal (Alberta)

Newfoundland and Labrador

* Newfoundland and Labrador Bravery Award *

Newfoundland Volunteer War Service Medal The Newfoundland Volunteer War Service Medal is a medal created to honour those from the Dominion of Newfoundland who served in British Forces outside of the Dominion during World War II. It was issued to those who did not receive a volunteer war ...

Manitoba

* Manitoba Excellence in Law Enforcement Award + * Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal (Manitoba)

New Brunswick

* Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal (New Brunswick)

Nova Scotia

* Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal (Nova Scotia)

Prince Edward Island

* Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal (Prince Edward Island)

Bibliography

*McCreery, Christopher (2008). “The Beginner’s Guide to Canadian Honours”

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

: Dundurn Press. *McCreery, Christopher (2005). “The Canadian Honours System”

: Dundurn Press.

References

External links

* * {{Decorations by country Provincial and territorial orders of Canada Provincial awards