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The Canadian Victoria Cross

Our friends on the other side of the Atlantic have decided to reinstate the Victoria Cross as Canada's highest military decoration, it having fallen out of favour under, yes, Trudeau:

"The VC was shunned in 1972 when the government created a new Canadian honours system that neglected that the country might be at war again. The new system included military honours for meritorious service and bravery but nothing specifically for rare instances of military valour. Former prime minister Pierre Trudeau regularly dodged the question of whether the VC would be awarded again, saying only that Canadians should receive Canadian decorations. In 1987, Brian Mulroney promised that the VC would become the cornerstone of Canada's military decorations. A committee struck by his government ignored the call, however but a front-page story in The Globe and Mail in 1991 turned the tide by noting that Canadian troops sent to the Persian Gulf War were ineligible to receive the VC and were not being provided an equivalent by their government".

Lobbying by Royal Canadian Legion is reckoned to have been pivotal, and I salute our Canadian friends for wishing to continue to honour past recipients (all dead, alas) by not viewing the VC as a 'foreign' decoration but something as legitimately Canadian as maple syrup, moose and the Calgary Stampede. The Globe & Mail reckons that Her Maj will present one to Harper for an unknown soldier who fell at Vimy Ridge (q.v). With 90 VC recipients, Canada is fifth behind England, Scotland, Ireland and Australia.

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This entry was posted on Saturday, March 03, 2007 at 1:13 pm. You can skip to the end and leave a response.

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Blogger The Hitch said... 3:05 pm

The canuck , has always been amongst the first to volunteer for a fight alongside us, same with the Aussies and Kiwis , and unlike the Americans they turn up on time and tend not to bumble about shooting at their own side.
Probaly due the fact that a lot of them (the good ones)are Jocks and like a good scrap more than they hate the English.
The French are of course .......French )+:  



Blogger The Hitch said... 3:07 pm

I should add that south Africans, Rhodesians and the paddies have also done their bit and still do.  



Anonymous Anonymous said... 5:01 pm

Not forgetting Johnny Gurkha, always up for a bit of the cold steel: and honorable mention for Fiji  



Blogger Guthrum said... 9:32 am

and slightly more reliable than our NATO Allies at present, some of whom are not allowed out after dark.  



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