# 2019-186 Others, Honours and awards

Case summary

F&R Date: 2020-03-25

The grievor contended that when the criteria was amended for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Special Service Medal (NATO-SSM) it should have applied to all NATO service since 1951 and not just service since 2004. He argued that since he had 147 days of NATO service between 1987 and 1989, and the new requirement is that only 45 days of service is required after 2004, he should be entitled to receive the NATO-SSM.

The Initial Authority (IA) noted that amending awards criteria is an extensive undertaking, requiring multiple levels of agreement and approval including the Government, the Privy Council Office, the Department of Justice, the Prime Minister, and final approval by the Governor General on behalf of the Queen. While the IA recognizes that the criteria treats service prior to 2004 differently than service after 2004, he found that the criteria are fair and provide for the proper recognition of service.

The Committee found that the changes to the NATO-SSM were authorized by the Governor General in Council and published via a Privy Council Order and the Canadian Armed Forces could not deviate from the established criteria. As the grievor's service did not meet the criteria for the NATO-SSM award, the Committee recommended that the Final Authority (FA) not afford the grievor redress.

FA decision summary

The FA agreed with the Committee's findings and its recommendation to not offer redress, finding that the grievor did not qualify for the SSM NATO Bar.