Honorable Service
Topic
Honorable Service
Case numbers
Description
The grievor was not awarded the General Campaign Star (GCS) .
The GCS is granted to Canadian Forces (CF) members who are deployed to a specific operational theatre to serve in operations in the presence of an armed enemy. The GCS is issued for honourable service.
The Board searched for the CF interpretation of honourable service, but was unable to find one. Therefore, in the apparent absence of a standardized definition at the national level, the interpretation of honourable service is left to the discretion of each commander. The absence of a framework unavoidably gives rise to differing interpretations, which inevitably lead to inequities.
Recommendation
The Board recommended that the Chief of the Defense Staff order the establishment of evaluation criteria for each of the specific factors to be considered before refusing an award. In addition to being a useful tool for commanders in their decision-making processes, the establishment of criteria will facilitate the standardization of the definition of honourable service for awards purposes.
Final Authority Decision
The CDS approved the Board’s systemic recommendation to define the concept of dishonourable service and establish criteria for determining when it has occurred; the Commander of Canadian Expeditionary Force Command has been tasked with presenting a proposal in this regard to the competent authorities.