Monday, June 13, 2011

Prince Philip named honorary admiral and general of the Canadian Armed Forces

Prince Philip has been appointed an honorary admiral and general in Her Majesty's Canadian Armed Forces on the occasion of his 90th birthday.

Of course, we would have preferred that he became an honorary Admiral of the Royal Canadian Navy than an Admiral of Maritime Command, but very, very welcome nonetheless:

10 June 2011
Ottawa, Ontario

Prime Minister Stephen Harper today announced that His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, has been appointed as an honorary admiral and general in Her Majesty’s Canadian Armed Forces on the occasion of his 90th birthday.

“I am delighted that His Royal Highness has accepted this honour from Canada in recognition of his significant contribution to our national life,” said Prime Minister Harper. “His unwavering support of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and his commitment to the Canadian Armed Forces, as well as to many other fields of endeavour in this country, are worthy of our highest recognition and deepest gratitude.”

It is the first time that an honorary rank is granted at the highest level of the Canadian Armed Forces, which underscores the importance of the honour being granted to His Royal Highness by Canada. With these appointments, The Duke of Edinburgh becomes an Admiral in Maritime Command and a General in Land Forces Command and Air Command, and His Royal Highness may choose to wear these ranks on all three uniforms of the Canadian Armed Forces.

"The Duke of Edinburgh has had a close association with the Canadian Armed Forces since the Coronation of Her Majesty the Queen in 1953. His Royal Highness is currently Colonel-in-Chief of five Canadian regiments, and holds similar appointments with all three cadet organizations. His service to the Canadian Armed Forces in this capacity has been recognized by the award of the Canadian Forces' Decoration with four clasps."

“On this important day, it is most appropriate for Canada to honour The Duke of Edinburgh for his outstanding record of service and dedication to the Canadian Armed Forces and to Canada over the past 58 years. He is truly an inspiration to us all and I know that all Canadians join me in extending congratulations to His Royal Highness on these appointments and best wishes for many more years of continued health and happiness,” added the Prime Minister.

18 comments:

  1. He's not an Admiral of Maritime Command but in it, so really he's an Admiral of an Element...and then, of course a General of two Elements in two different commands. And all of this gobbledygook is supposed to demonstrate administrative efficiency to satisfy the fantasies of a failed policy. I really do pray that the government puts all this nonsense to bed and restores the names. It's near embarrassing.

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  2. If this was the 1970s, he would have been appointed an honorary "General-at-Sea". At least the embarrasment factor is diminishing over time.

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  3. A couple of points to note here:

    1. Notice the continued emphasis on Armed, as in the Canadian Armed Forces. During the years when Canada was known only as a peacekeeper, governments only referred to the Canadian Forces, deliberately dropping the Armed part.

    2. Notice too that it is Her Majesty's Canadian Armed Forces. This is not the first time this government has accentuated that fact.

    So very welcome indeed.

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  4. The Harper government tends to tease us a bit methinks. This is a very welcome announcement, and his own comments about the role of the monarchy and the emphasis on "Her Majesty's Canadian Armed Forces," - even his remarks at the GG swearing-in - all point to a refreshing sea change in attitude. Now just go this one small step further Mr. Prime Minister. Merely a signature on a piece of paper will right the historical wrong perpetrated on Canada's military forces. If we can't get this under a Conservative Majority, we never will.

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  5. This is neither new nor indicative of the government's, past or present, attitues toward the Crown or the armed services. My commissioning scroll, dated 1 Oct 1982, reads, in part, "HEREBY appointed an Officer in Her Majesty's Canadian Armed Forces" and we all know which political party was in power at that time.

    I think we need to discourage any titular association between the Crown and the bland corporate entity called the Canadian Forces (armed or otherwise) lest it gain formal recognisition. I would be just as unhappy with a Royal Canadian Armed Forces or a Royal Canadian Maritme Command and I assume most petitioners would be as well considering this campaign is about restoring historical titles and identities, not creating new ones.

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  6. Royal Canadian Maritime Command is idiotic, given that it is obviously a military command, not a service or a regiment.

    Yes, statute language and traditional commissioning scrolls have not changed over the past 43 years, but government language does tend to reflect the values of the political party in power. The current government obviously relishes the fact that the vulgar Grits are gone and have been rightfully scorned.

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  7. Idiotic ideas nevertheless find their way into concrete form. Unification, anyone?

    I understand the point but I don't want lipservice paid to this issue. I hope the government scorns the Grits and their policies enough to take corrective action.

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  8. Children play these sorts of games: it is their nature, but a birthday present of an unearned and therefore meaningless title by an adult to her husband?! Pathetic.

    The mind boggles!

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The Petition moves along...

May 1: Laurie Hawn, M.P. agrees to support petition
April 30: Sent draft petition to The Dominion Institute to seek their sponsorship
April 28: Sent draft petition to Captain(N) Pickingford, Project Manager, Canadian Navy Centennial Project
April 27: Sent petition to Blaine Barker of the Royal Canadian Naval Association and Bob Nixon of the Naval Officer's Association of Canada and Peter Dawe, Executive Director of the RMC Club
April 26: The Monarchist League of Canada members are supportive
April 25: Interesting - even heated - debate over at the Navy, Army, Air Force Forum, where the "Yeas" have it by a two-thirds majority.