The Chief of the Defence Staff Announces King Charles III’s Coronation Medal

The Chief of the Defence Staff announced 4,000 King Charles III’s Coronation Medal would be awarded to Canadian Armed Forces members.

Last May, the Prime Minister announced that a coronation medal would be created to commemorate His Majesty King Charles III’s coronation as King of Canada.

Representing Breadth Society

Instructions regarding the new medal and nominations were included in a recent CANFORGEN released by General Wayne Eyre, Chief of the Defence Staff.

CANFORGEN 063/24 noted the medal will be administered by the Chancellery of Honours at Rideau Hall (Government House).

“The Coronation Medal will be a tangible way for Canada to acknowledge His Majesty as our new Sovereign. At the same time, the presentation of 30,000 medals will serve to honour contributions and achievements made by individuals representing the full breadth of our society,” noted the CANFORGEN.

Four thousand medals have been allocated for the CAF, which means approximately 3.9 per cent of CAF members will be recognized on this occasion. Medal recipients will be selected based on merit using a process similar to that of the Order of Military Merit (ORMM).

Five Nominating Commands

“The five ORMM nominating commands, namely VCDs, RCN, CA, RCAF, and CMP, will be given an allocation corresponding to their demographic weight, along with direction to ensure that the selection is representative of the CAF population,” stated the CANFORGEN.

Recognition will focus on the work of those in lower ranks for both the NCM and officer corps, which are critical to operational success, particularly as CAF rebuilds to its authorized strength.

The commands mentioned will solicit nominations from their units and formations and make a selection that meets the requirements below.

The Directorate of Honours and Recognition (DH and R) will consolidate the nominations and submit them to Government House for approval.

Criteria for Nominations

The CAF has criteria directly related to the national criteria for the medal. To be eligible, a CAF member shall:

• Have been in service on 6 May 2023 in or with the regular force, primary reserve, coats or Canadian
• Rangers (members who are released, NES or on the Supp Res List on May 6, 2023, are not eligible).
• Have successfully completed trade training on May 6, 2023.
• Have a record of good conduct, meaning that the member has not been awarded a punishment or sanction other than a minor punishment, minor sanction, fine or deprivation of pay (any offence for which a pardon or record suspension has been granted before 6 May 2023 shall not be taken into account); and
• Have made a significant contribution to the CAF, their community or Canada as a whole, or have realized an outstanding achievement abroad that brings credit to the CAF or Canada.

Further guidance on selection is provided as follows:

• Criteria for selection are based on merit.
• Rank, position and length of service cannot, on their own, justify an award of the medal.
• There shall be no automatic awarding on the basis of set criteria such as a recent promotion, first place on a merit list, recent awarding of another honour or award, length of service, etc.
• There shall be no draw, vote, peer selection by acclamation or any other similar process to determine medal candidates. Each unit or formation shall establish an appropriate selection committee to forward merit-based nominations to higher HQ IAW direction provided by the nominating commands.

Deserving Candidates

The CANFORGEN noted, “No person shall nominate themselves. COs shall be nominated by their superior headquarters if they are deemed deserving.”

The award of any previous commemorative medal has no bearing on eligibility for the medal. However, members of the Canadian Coronation Contingent will receive the UK Coronation Medal, which has been approved for wear, and the members shall not be nominated for the Canadian Coronation Medal, as well.

Candidates deserving of this medal should, in every way, be an example for their peers and a source of pride for their unit.

Special consideration should be given to persons who have demonstrated at least one of the following achievements:

1. A performance that far exceeds what is expected of a member of their rank, trade or experience;
2. Actions on the international scene that have reflected well on the CAF and Canada;
3. A significant contribution to CAF culture evolution or reconciliation;
4. A deep commitment to their community through their involvement and volunteer work;
5. Innovations that change the way the CAF operates;
6. Having positively influenced the way the Canadian public perceives the CAF;
7. A significant contribution to the preservation, perpetuation and communication of our military culture and heritage;
8. Actions and expertise that have made them national and international authorities in their field.

Representation of CAF Demographics

In addition to the merit criteria, careful consideration must be given in each command to ensure a good representation of CAF demographics, which includes the following factors:

1. Rank. Allocations will be fixed by rank with a focus on lower ranks, so the majority of medals will go to NCMs up to PO1/WO and officers up to LCdr/Maj. For these two groups, commands must also ensure equitable distribution within each rank. There will also be a smaller number of medals allocated to CPO2/MWO, CPO1/CWO and Cdr/LCol, respectively. For CPO1/CWO, the focus will be on those in unit leadership or equivalent positions;
2. Gender
3. First official language
4. Occupations
5. Components. Members of the primary reserve shall make up 20 per cent of the candidates. As with the ORMM, a special allocation for the coats and rangers will be assigned to VCDS and CA, respectively
6. Unit and regional distribution
7. Employment equity groups

The nominating commands will promulgate their internal call for nominations soon, and they will initiate their selection process. The commands shall submit their final list of candidates to DH and R by September 6, 2024.

If a candidate’s status changes (as a result of the laying of a charge, etc.) between the moment of nomination and the presentation of the medal, the commands shall notify DH and R. It is possible that a subsequent change in status may affect a candidate’s eligibility for the medal.

Candidate Not Informed

Since a nomination does not guarantee an award, it is most important that the candidate is not informed that they are being considered for the medal to avoid disappointment.

“After validation by Government House, medals will be provided by DH and R to the nominating Command for presentation arrangements. Units must record the award of the medal in each member’s pers file and MPRR,” noted the CANFORGEN.

If a medal is received for a member who is no longer part of a unit, the package is to be returned under DND 728 to DH and R with an explanatory note.

Where a CAF member receives the medal from another partner than the CAF, the member shall bring a copy of the proof of award to their OR to record the award in their pers file and MPRR.