Nomination and Appointment Process

  1. OPENING OF THE FILE
    • Active members of the Canadian Forces, both Regular and Reserve, can be nominated.
    • The nomination period is usually from January to May of each year.
    • All nominations are to be submitted to the Department of National Defence Headquarters
    • Directorate of Honours and Recognition (DH&R) through the chain of command.
       
  2. REVIEW BY THE CHAIN OF COMMAND
    • All nominations are considered by each Command and a prioritized list of candidates is forwarded for final review by the Order of Military Merit (OMM) Advisory Council.
    • Each Command of the Canadian Forces can recommend a limited number of nominations each year.
       
  3. ADVISORY COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION
    • The OMM Advisory Council meets annually in the early fall to consider all nominations received from the Commands and select a list of those nominees with the greatest merit in each category of membership.
    • The total number of appointments in any year cannot exceed one tenth of one percent of the number of persons who were members of the Canadian Forces during the preceding year.
       
  4. APPOINTMENT
    • Upon receipt of the list of nominees from the Council, the Chief of Defence Staff sends a letter to the Governor General with recommended recipients.
    • Appointments to the Order are confirmed by an instrument of appointment signed by the Governor General.
    • Recipients are advised of their appointment to the Order through the chain of command.
    • Names are made public on the Governor General's website (www.gg.ca).
       
  5. INVESTITURE
    • Recipients and their guests are invited to a ceremony where they are presented with the insignia of the Order of Military Merit by the Governor General.
    • Investitures take place at Rideau Hall or la Citadelle.