OTTAWA—Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, will preside at the investiture ceremony of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces, on Wednesday May 26, 2009, at 11:00 a.m., at Rideau Hall. The Governor General will invest one Commander, six Officers and 23 Members into the Order.
The Order was created in October 2000 to recognize conspicuous merit and exceptional service by members and employees of the Canadian police forces whose contributions extend beyond protection of the community. Three levels of membership with post-nominal letters reflect long-term, outstanding service: Commander (C.O.M.), Officer (O.O.M.) and Member (M.O.M.).
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Media interested in covering this event and interviewing recipients are asked to contact the Rideau Hall Press Office. A media schedule for the investiture ceremony, the list of recipients, and a backgrounder on the Order are attached.
Media Information:
Annabelle Cloutier
Rideau Hall Press Office
613-993-8158
acloutier@gg.ca
www.gg.ca
Members of the media are asked to observe the following schedule:
Assistant Director General Steven Chabot, C.O.M. (promotion within the Order)
Sûreté du Québec, Montréal
Deputy Commissioner Lawrence Graham Beechey, O.O.M.
Ontario Provincial Police, Orillia
Chief Constable Jamie Hamilton Graham, O.O.M.
Victoria Police Department, B.C.
Deputy Commissioner J. V. N. (Vincent) Hawkes, O.O.M.
Ontario Provincial Police, Orillia
Deputy Commissioner Christopher D. Lewis, O.O.M. (promotion within the Order)
Ontario Provincial Police, Orillia
Assistant Commissioner Robert Wilfred Paulson, O.O.M. (promotion within the Order)
Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Ottawa, Ont.
Inspector Joseph Lance Valcour, O.O.M.
Ottawa Police Service, Ont.
Chief Keith John Atkinson, M.O.M.
Brandon Police Service, Man.
Superintendent Bradley Blair, M.O.M.
Ontario Provincial Police, Orillia
Staff Sergeant Murray Elijah Brown, M.O.M.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Halifax, N.S.
Chief Constable Douglas James Cessford, M.O.M.
Delta Police Service, B.C.
Sergeant G. Shawn Coady, M.O.M., C.D.
Vancouver Police Department, B.C.
Deputy Chief Constable John Alexander Ducker, M.O.M.
Victoria Police Department, B.C.
Staff Superintendent Michael Federico, M.O.M.
Toronto Police Service, Ont.
Chief Inspector André Fortin, M.O.M.
Sûreté du Québec, Montréal
Corporal Christopher G. Gosselin, M.O.M.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Chilliwack, B.C.
Sergeant Stewart C. Kellock, M.O.M., C.D.
Toronto Police Service, Ont.
Assistant Commissioner Wayne Alexander Lang, M.O.M.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Fredericton, N.B.
Ms. Brenda Lawson, M.O.M.
Ottawa Police Service, Ont.
Chief Barry D. MacKnight, M.O.M.
Fredericton Police Service, N.B.
Chief Superintendent William Fraser MacRae, M.O.M.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Surrey, B.C.
Deputy Chief Michael S. Mann, M.O.M.
Waterloo Police Service, Cambridge, Ont.
Superintendent H. Alfred Niedtner, M.O.M.
Vancouver Police Department, B.C.
Inspector André Péloquin, M.O.M.
Sûreté du Québec, Montréal
Deputy Chief John Allan Redford, M.O.M.
Calgary Police Service, Alta.
Inspector Ronald ‘Dean’ Robinson, M.O.M.
Vancouver Police Department, B.C.
Constable Tom Stamatakis, M.O.M.
Victoria Police Department, B.C.
Director Marc St-Laurent, M.O.M.
Service de police pour le territoire de l’agglomération de Longueuil, Que.
Deputy Chief Constable Stephen C. Sweeney, M.O.M.
Vancouver Police Department, B.C.
Detective Sergeant James Arthur Van Allen, M.O.M.
Ontario Provincial Police, Orillia
The Order of Merit of the Police Forces honours a career of exceptional service or distinctive merit displayed by the men and women of the Canadian Police Services, and recognizes their commitment to this country. The primary focus is on exceptional merit, contributions to policing and community development.
The commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the principal commander of the Order, submits recommendations for appointment to the governor general on behalf of an advisory committee. Nominations for appointment to the Order may be made by submitting the name of a member or employee of a police force to the commanding officer of that police force.
Her Majesty The Queen is the Sovereign of the Order, and the governor general is the Chancellor and one of the Commanders of the Order. The Principal Commander is the Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
The badge of the Order is the same as that of the Order of Military Merit, a blue-enamelled, straight-end cross (four arms, narrow at the centre, wider at the ends) with an annulus in red surmounted by St. Edward’s Crown. The ribbon is different and consists of three equal bands of blue, gold and blue. The annulus bears the inscription MERIT.MÉRITE.CANADA.
For more information about the Order of Merit of the Police Forces, visit the Honours section of our Web site, www.gg.ca, or visit the Web site of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, www.cacp.ca.
