Introduction

Over the past decade we have noticed a rampant increase in the number of people who are wearing their orders, decorations and medals incorrectly. The cadre of people who flagrantly violate the official rules on how you are supposed to wear your medals ranges from the average veteran right up to current and former Governors General. Indeed, there is much evidence to suggest that the higher the rank of the individual the more likely they are to just wear whatever they want, however they want. We like to think of this as “Instant Dictator Syndrome” or self-aggrandizement at its most obvious.

Why do people wear their medals incorrectly? Often it is because they simply do not know any better. If you are one of these people you should consult WEARING ORDERS, DECORATIONS AND MEDALS which is available from the Chancellery of Honours at Rideau Hall. This guide will help you figure out how you are supposed to wear your officially granted orders, decorations and medals.

When it comes to wearing your medals incorrectly the worst offenders tend to be former Governors General, Lieutenant Governors and retired Generals. When these people – all in authority and all surrounded by staff who know better – wear their medals wrong they are obviously suffering from the dreaded Instant Dictator Syndrome. The attitude accompanied with this most severe condition is “the more medals I wear the more important I will look.”

This simple blog is aimed at revealing the myriad of fellow Canadians who cannot seem to wear their medals correctly.

Tuesday, February 2, 2021

Bye Bye Offender-in-Chief, Julie Payette: Time to hand back your CC, CMM, COM and CD

The departure of Julie Payette as Canada's Governor General and Commander-in-Chief has brought relief to many of us here at Wearing Your Medals Wrong. Her Former Not So EXCELLENcy's approach to wearing Canadian orders, decorations and medals was on par with what the media has exposed as her alleged treatment of staff, volunteers, colleagues, the RCMP protective detail and practically everyone she came into contact with.

Way back in September 2018 we noted that Payette had been parading around Rideau Hall, in front of a group of protocol, medals and heraldry experts, wearing totally unauthorized NASA gum ball machine prizes... errr, we mean "I went to space and didn't die" medals. 

It was with great glee that we note that Colby Cosh of the National Post even picked up on this blog's tracking of Payette's great NASA medal wearing debacle on January 22 in "The Cult of Celebrity has no place in the governor general's office."

Cosh amusingly, but accurately notes; 
"in one of the under appreciated low points of her tenure, to wear her more subtle NASA decorations, eschewing the governor general's Canadian insignia in favour of corporate awards from a U.S. government agency. It was mostly protocol nerds and monarchists who foamed at the mount over that one, but in retrospect I defy anyone to say they didn't have a point -- and it ought to have been noticed earlier..." 

Thank you for this Mr. Cosh. As a group of protocol nerds we appreciate this recognition. Like you we hope the next Governor General will not be a complete and unmitigated Challenger (OV-099) like disaster. 

HAND BACK THE GONG'S PLEASE ! 

We can only hope that the Advisory Councils of the various Orders for which Mme. Payette once served as Chancellor (the Order of Canada, The Order of Military Merit and the Order of Merit of the Police Forces), will cancel/erase her appointment to some of our country's highest honours. There is no question that Payette has brought disrepute upon these Orders in a more public manner than any previous holder of a CC, CMM or COM. Payette should be removed from the three Orders, be required to return her Canadian Force's Decoration and also hand in her Order national du Québec. We can also hope that she will be stripped of the style "Right Honourable" and lastly her coat of arms should be erased, defaced or dis-honoured in some obvious manner. For her Rideau Hall portrait we suggest any number of the hilarious cartoons which her actions have generated from the talented pens of Canada's editorial cartoonists. 

Perhaps there is no more visual way to acknowledge Mme. Payette's disgrace then by fiddling with her coat of arms. A search of the internet (none of us are experts on heraldry although we have some followers who are), reveals that we just have to turn Payette's coat of arms upside down (an Abatement) to show she has behaved in a highly dishonourable way. 

We have gone further and  removed Payette's Order of Canada and Ordre national du Québec medals, along with the motto of the Order of Canada. The grey circle around Payette's shield represents the grey and sadness that she brought to Rideau Hall and the grey state of mental health she left so many of the staff in. This greyness totally encircles Payette's shield. The Crown was also removed, if there were any maple leaves in her arms we would have removed those as well.

This is a very obvious visual way of showing how awful Payette was in every aspect of her service as Governor General, treatment of staff and Canadians. 

Another option is to rewrite the symbolism of her arms, if only that Privy Council Office report didn't contain so many words, we might be able to include direct commentary in the augmented "ignominious Payette arms."



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