The Alberta government has become the latest to support calls for an independent military honours review board that would re-evaluate the actions of Canadian veterans who may have met the standard for the Victoria Cross, Canada's highest military honour.
Motion Tabled in Legislature
Government house leader Joseph Schow tabled a motion in the Alberta legislative assembly on Tuesday afternoon urging the Government of Canada to establish an independent review board. The motion states: "Be it resolved that the legislative assembly urge the Government of Canada to establish an independent military honours review board to review veterans' cases where evidence suggests Victoria Cross criteria were met."
Several veterans were present in the chamber as Schow introduced and spoke in support of the motion. "Anyone who woke up on a military base in Europe, Korea, Kandahar, or anywhere else the Canadian military has served has already done something far braver than most people will ever do," Schow said. "For those who distinguish themselves even further, no recognition could be too large."
Opposition MLA Nicole Goehring also spoke in favour of the motion, noting that it has been something veterans have sought for some time.
Background on the Victoria Cross
The Canadian version of the Victoria Cross was established in 1993 but has never been awarded. The British Victoria Cross was awarded 99 times to Canadians, beginning in 1854 and most recently in 1945. According to the federal government, the award is given for "the most conspicuous bravery, a daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice, or extreme devotion to duty, in the presence of the enemy."
Motions calling for an independent review have drawn support across the country and party lines, including from legislatures in Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Saskatchewan, as well as from the Senate.
Federal Support
Last month, Conservative Airdrie-Cochrane MP Blake Richards presented a similar motion to the House of Commons veterans committee, where it was supported unanimously by members from three different parties. "We had 40,000 men and women that went and served in Afghanistan. And, I think that sometimes people forget that we have heroes that live among us now, when we think about the First World War and Second World War, sometimes we forget about the more modern day veterans," Richards told Postmedia.
Richards highlighted the case of the late Pte. Jess Larochelle, who fought off an attack from 20 Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan in 2006, saving the lives of his comrades despite four members of his section being wounded and two killed. He was awarded the Star of Military Valour, Canada's second-highest military honour, and died in 2023. "It's just long overdue," Richards said. "We need to recognize that we have heroes that live among us."
