Canada starts with “can”!

His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston
Governor General of Canada
Rideau Hall
1 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A1

An Open Letter to the Governor General of Canada

Subject: Canada starts with “can”! Can Canada honour its family of Veterans?

Your Excellency, I write to you by means of an open letter not only to share my thoughts with you but with all Canadians. For many Canadians, today is family day and I believe that you are a strong supporter of family. Sir, it is in that regard that I write to you to discuss my on-going desire to create a lasting recognition, an unwavering honour for Canadian Heritage, for our forgotten medal-less Veterans whose only desire is to be remembered for their service.

As our Commander-in-Chief, you play a key role for our men and women in the Forces, and our Veterans. Sir, I as do many Canadians still believe that anything in this country is possible; that any Canadian has the ability to and should be able to participate in being a part of the “Can” in Canada. It is for this reason that I address you on the issue of so many of our volunteer Veterans, who, since the cessation of the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal (CVSM) on the 1st of March 1947, even though having served their nation remain medal-less and are being forgotten. Can we right this wrong and remember them? Yes we Can!

Your Excellency, before I continue, I would like to point out that recently two Bars to the CVSM were issued to honour and remember those Veterans that took part in Dieppe and Hong Kong, going back some 60 years to remember them and their efforts. As part of our Heritage, we had a tradition of honouring Veterans by the issuance of a volunteer service medal but we stopped that practice in March of 1947, and have created a void of forgetfulness. Thousands of our young men and women who volunteered to serve were never given the dignity and honour of receiving a single “Canadian medal” for their conviction to serve and their dedication to be a part of a unique family, that of the Canadian Forces. In fact it is my understanding that we have gone so far as to even implement rules that seem to clash with that of Her Majesty the Queen in going retroactive to honour the service of Commonwealth Troops by the introduction of a rule that prohibits honouring and remembering our Veterans for any event more than 5 years in the past. Sir, that hardly makes sense when the Honk Kong and Dieppe Bars were created for events 60 years before! Her Majesty recently issued the “Elizabeth Cross” for events that are retroactive more than 60 years going as far back as 1948 to honour and recognize those deserving. Here in Canada, a proposed medal to right the wrong of forgetting our volunteer Veterans…an act to Honour, give them due Dignity and to Remember our Veterans while properly maintaining our Canadian Heritage has been strongly supported for almost 5 years. Your Excellency, this is for our Veterans and their families as this would become a part of their legacy, a way to recognize our medal-less Veterans?

The proposed medal, the Governor General’s Volunteer Service Medal (GGVSM) would be for all Veterans who since March of 1947, have honourably served yet did not stay in the forces for a full 12 years to receive the long service medal, the Canadian Forces Decoration (CD). The GGVSM has been strongly supported having by way of a Petition which has been read in the House of Commons 15 or more times with thousands of Canadian signatories and thousands more Canadians continue to show their support using the on-line GGVSM Petition started about a year or so ago with more than 5700 Canadians having signed, and many voicing extremely positive comments.

It has been my honour to participate in this effort, and I still hold fast to an honourable belief that anything is possible especially when it comes to bringing about a way to “Remember our Veterans”. I truly believe that someday in honour of these thousands of medal-less Veterans we “Can” bring about a lasting legacy the GGVSM. I do hope that you as head of this wonderful family, our nation’s Veterans, and the Canadian Forces can make it become a reality for all of them.

In Remembrance of those that have “volunteered to serve”—Contemplare Meliora—to envision a better world. We shall remember them, all of them, not one shall be forgotten…not one!

Sincerely yours,
Dave W. Palmer, CD