The Canadian Honours System

J.L. Granatstein, Distinguished Research Professor of History Emeritus,
York University, served as Director of the Canadian War Museum from 1998
to 2000. His latest works are Who Killed Canadian History?, Who Killed
the Canadian Military, and Hell’s Cor

This useful, well-illustrated book details the system of honours that
has developed in Canada, primarily in the last four decades. Canadians
used to be eligible for British honours, including lordships and
knighthoods, but democratic egalitarianism stopped that. Military
personnel could receive British gallantry awards through the Korean War,
but a desire for a domestic system developed. The result was the Order
of Canada and an array of military awards of commendation and for
gallantry. And, of course, there are service medals: the list of United
Nations, NATO, and other international organization “gongs” is very
long. The next time a soldier with four rows of ribbons passes by,
readers will be able to begin tracking a service career. At last, we
have almost as many ribbons as the Yanks! Christopher McCreery has
created a reference book that deserves to be in every public library.