Regulations

INTERPRETATION

1. The following definitions apply in these Regulations.

“Committee” means the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers Committee established under subsection 5(1). (conseil)

“Director” means the Director of Honours, Chancellery of Honours. (directeur)

“Medal” means the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers described in section 2. (médaille)

“Sovereign” means “Her Majesty”, “His Majesty”, “the Queen”, “the King” or “the Crown” as defined in subsection 35(1) of the Interpretation Act. (souverain)

DESCRIPTION

2. The Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers

(a) shall consist of a silver circular medal that is 36 mm in diameter with a suspension ring;

(b) shall bear

  1. on the obverse, a contemporary effigy of the Sovereign, circumscribed with the inscription in capital letters of the Canadian Royal Title and the word “CANADA”, separated by two maple leaves, and

  2. on the reverse, a large and a small heart interlaced, set with five maple leaves on the outer edge of the large heart which is surmounted by a coronet bearing three maple leaves; the edge of the reverse shall be decorated with a sunburst pattern; and

(c) shall be suspended from a ribbon that is 32 mm in width, the edges of which shall consist of 9.25 mm deep red stripes and the centre of which shall consist of five 1.5 mm gold stripes interspersed with four 1.5 mm blue stripes.

ELIGIBILITY

3. (1) The following persons are eligible to be awarded the Medal:

(a) any person who is a Canadian citizen who, on or after August 1, 2009, has made a significant, sustained and unpaid contribution to their community in Canada or abroad;

(b) any person who is not a Canadian citizen who, on or after August 1, 2009, has made a significant, sustained and unpaid contribution to a community in Canada or to a community abroad, if it brings benefit or honour to Canadians or Canada; and

(c) any recipient of the Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award.

(2) The Medal may be awarded to a person posthumously if that person

(a) is a person referred to in paragraph (1)(a) or (b) and is alive on the day on which the Governor General signs their instrument of award; or

(b) is a person referred to in paragraph (1)(c).

(3) The Medal shall be awarded to a person only once.

NOMINATION PROCEDURE

4. Any person may submit to the Director a nomination of a person who is eligible to be awarded the Medal under section 3, and the Director shall transmit the nomination to the Committee for consideration.

COMMITTEE

5. (1) The Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers Committee is established and shall be composed of

(a) the Director, who shall be the Chairperson of the Committee; and

(b) not more than seven other persons who shall be appointed as members of the Committee by the Governor General.

(2) The Governor General shall appoint a member of the Committee under paragraph (1)(b) for a term of one year and may renew their term for a maximum period of three years for each reappointment.

6. The Committee shall

(a) consider the nominations transmitted by the Director under section 4 and determine the eligibility of the nominees;

(b) submit to the Governor General a list of the nominees who, in the opinion of the Committee, meet the criteria for eligibility; and

(c) advise the Governor General on any matters concerning the award of the Medal that the Governor General may refer to the Committee for its consideration.

ORGANIZATIONS

7. The Director shall establish and maintain a list containing the names of organizations that, in the Director’s opinion, may submit to the Governor General the nomination of persons eligible to be awarded the Medal.

AWARD

8. An award of the Medal shall be made, on the recommendation of the Committee or an organization that is set out on the list referred to in section 7, by the Governor General, who signs an instrument of award.

EXCEPTIONAL AWARDS

9. Despite section 3, the Governor General may award the Medal in exceptional circumstances.

PRESENTATION

10. Unless the Governor General directs otherwise, the Medal shall be presented to the recipient as arranged by the Director.

WEARING OF MEDAL

11. The Medal shall be worn on the left breast, suspended from the ribbon described in paragraph 2(c), in accordance with the order of precedence determined by the Governor in Council.

12. A person to whom the Medal has been awarded may wear a miniature of the Medal on all occasions when the wearing of miniatures is customary.

ADMINISTRATION

13. The Director shall

(a) prepare the instruments of award for signature by the Governor General;

(b) acquire the Medals;

(c) maintain a register containing the names of the recipients of the Medals and any other records relating to an award that the Director considers necessary;

(d) arrange for the presentations of the Medals; and

(e) perform any other functions in respect of awards of the Medal that the Governor General may require.

CANCELLATION AND REINSTATEMENT

14. (1) The Governor General may, on the recommendation of the Chancellery of Honours,

(a) cancel the award of a Medal to any person; or

(b) reinstate the award of a Medal that has been cancelled under paragraph (a).

(2) If the award of a Medal is cancelled, the name of the person to whom it was awarded shall be deleted from the register referred to in paragraph 13(c).

GENERAL

15. Nothing in these Regulations limits the right of the Governor General to exercise all of the powers and authorities of the Sovereign in respect of the Medal.

16. The Governor General may make ordinances respecting the Medal.