What started out as a good idea has quickly turned into a farce.
The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal was created with the dual purpose of marking the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s accession to the throne and honouring “significant contributions and achievements” by Canadians.
But somewhere along the line, someone decided to lower the bar and award the medals in a ridiculously cavalier manner to countless individuals whose contributions range from insignificant to non-existent.
We understand the symbolism behind giving away 60,000 medals to coincide with a 60th anniversary, but perhaps the number of medals should have been cut in half to preserve any prestige associated with the award.
It’s not that there aren’t 60,000 deserving Canadians – there are thousands more than that – but maybe our humble nature doesn’t coincide well with the nomination process or the spotlight that comes with it.
So organizers are left with thousands of medals to give away in a short period of time, leading to a complete void of anything resembling legitimate criteria for winners. For proof, look no further than the following individuals who have been “honoured” with a diamond jubilee medal:
– Linda Gibbons and Mary Wagner, anti-abortion zealots who have both spent time in jail for repeatedly harassing staff and patients at abortion clinics;
– Jenni Byrne, a Conservative Party campaign manager; and
– every Canadian MP and senator (including Bloc Quebecois separatists, although they returned the medals).
What’s worse, among the award’s “partner organizations,” is REAL Women of Canada, which is opposed to gay rights and has called homosexuality a “threat” to Canada, and whose former director Rita Anne Hartmann allegedly has family connections to the Ku Klux Klan.
In Wellington County recent recipients have included mayors, CAOs making six-figure salaries and other municipal employees, whose contributions to their community – whether real or imagined – are simply part of their job description.
Frankly, these recipients have turned the diamond jubilee medal into a joke.
When everyone and their brother receives a medal, particularly those who have done little or nothing to deserve one, it tarnishes the medal and diminishes the accomplishments of those who actually deserve to be recognized for legitimate reasons.
Perhaps it should be renamed the cubic zirconia jubilee medal.
