13-16 Annex A - Terms of Reference – Canadian Cadet Organizations (CCO) National Honours and Awards Committee

Cadet Administrative and Training Orders (CATOs)

Committee Responsibilities​​

1. The CCO National Honours and Awards Committee's responsibilities shall include, but are not limited to:

1. developing and updating the policies which will ensure that the CCO and all those personnel associated with them receive appropriate recognition for remarkable actions or service;
2. establishing attribution criteria for national cadet awards in collaboration with the sponsoring organization, when applicable;
3. ensuring that the approved policies are promulgated widely so that the CCO can take advantage of opportunities for honours and awards;
4. accepting and adjudicating upon honours and award submissions, ensuring that the submissions merit an award and if so, ensuring that the recommended award is appropriate to the event or action which initiated the submission.  If it is not, the committee may recommend one which is more appropriate;
5. liaising, without allotment of funds, with those agencies which are involved with honours and awards;
6. encouraging and assisting in, wherever possible, the granting of honours and awards to the CCO, and associated personnel, by organizations not normally allied with the CCO and DND;
7. communicating with the different levels of the CCO to ensure that nominations for national awards are forwarded to the committee; and
8. liaising with the Regional Cadet Support Unit (RCSU) to keep abreast of honours and awards being considered by the Region Commanders.

2. The committee shall normally be responsible for submissions for the following honours and awards:

1. Cadet Award for Bravery; and
2. Cadet Certificate of Commendation.

Committee Operations

3. The committee operations shall generally be as follows:

1. submissions are received by the Director Cadets and Junior Canadian Rangers (D Cdts & JCR);
2. the committee secretary will verify that submissions meet eligibility criteria include the appropriate documentation;
3. where necessary, the secretary will conduct further research and obtain necessary substantiation to support the submissions;
4. the secretary will provide copies of all appropriate documentation concerning the submissions to the committee members so they can be knowledgeable of the files before the committee meeting;
5. D Cdts & JCR will call from time to time committee meetings to consider submissions;
6. during committee meetings, members shall consider each submission carefully through frank and open discussion to ensure that recommendations for an award are commensurate with the action or service described;
7. the secretary will take action to implement the decisions of the committee;
8. when the committee's recommendations have resulted in a decision and there is no further action required of the committee, the secretary will inform the initiator of the submission, and if necessary, prepare and dispatch appropriate documents associated with the award; and
9. when appropriate, the committee may make recommendations with respect to the presentation of awards, or become involved with presentations, to achieve the best possible public relations for the individual, the CCO and DND.

4. D Cdts & JCR may designate an acting chairman from among the regular members of the committee if there is a critical need for a decision by the committee during his absence.

5. Alternates will not replace regular committee members unless that alternate is doing the regular member's job on an extended term basis.  A quorum shall be the chairman and no fewer than five other members, which may include the secretary as a voting member.  A simple majority vote shall be used to decide issues.  The chairman will not vote unless there is a requirement to break a tie.

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