Rideau Hall, Friday, May 16, 2008

The story of the Canadian Victoria Cross, which we are unveiling today, is a beautiful story.

It is a story that began with the desire of an entire nation to recognize military valour at its noblest and most respected.

In 2005, thousands of people made their way to Parliament Hill to pay their respects to Smokey Smith as he lay in state.

Smokey Smith had been the last surviving Canadian recipient of the British Victoria Cross.

Remember the line that stretched all the way to Wellington Street? There were pictures in all the papers.

That decoration captured the imagination of an entire country.

The British Victoria Cross is the highest degree of recognition one could hope to receive in the course of a lifetime.

And there are but a few who have received it in just over a century and a half.

Though, many have received it posthumously.

But Canada wanted its own Victoria Cross.

A cross that would still resemble the British Cross but that would better reflect who we are.

And in 1993, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II gave her assent.

We took the time to do things right, with the help of our partners.

It was important to us that we create a design that would honour tradition and that we produce the Canadian Victoria Cross right here in Canada.

The Cross is simple enough in appearance but is the result of much reflection, research, historiography, attention to detail and collaboration.

The alloy used was created from various components: gunmetal dating back to the Crimean War, which is also part of the composition of the British Victoria Cross; copper used to produce the Confederation Medal struck in 1867; and metals from every region across Canada.

The Chancellery artist got to work, producing sketch after sketch.

A young soldier with the Canadian Forces on assignment in England picked up the gunmetal given to the people of Canada by the United Kingdom and brought it back to our country—carrying out her errand, I have been told, in absolute secrecy.

Canadian Heritage donated a Confederation Medal to be used in the alloy.

The master engraver at the Royal Canadian Mint designed the moulds and patterns using the drawings created by the Chancellery artist.

Then, after studying the composition of the British Victoria Cross, experts from Natural Resources Canada melted down the metals using a recipe known only to them.

Quite a story, as you can see.

Yes, the story of our Victoria Cross is a beautiful one. A story with a new chapter beginning today.

A story carried on by the men and women who enter the Forces to fulfill a noble commitment—out of a sense of duty, out of a desire to make a contribution, out of an unwavering conviction, like the recipients of the Medal and Star of Military Valour joining us today and whom I salute.

It is a story that carries on the tradition of this Cross, which Queen Victoria wanted to bestow regardless of rank or stripe, from ordinary soldiers to the highest ranking officers.

It is a story that speaks of our country, of Canada, a country that has always endeavoured to bring peace and stability to our world, in the past as in the present, in the name of an ideal of justice and freedom.

And it is this ideal that the Victoria Cross will proudly symbolize from this moment on.

Thank you very much.