Nomination and Appointment Process

  1. OPENING OF THE FILE (4 to 5 months)
    • 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 (3 to 4 months).
    • 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 recommends a limited number of nominations each year.
  3. ADVISORY COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION (1 day).
    • 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 (6 weeks).
    • 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) and through a press release.
  5. INVESTITURE (4 to 12 months).
    • 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, 2 or 3 times a year.