Create a new medal for those fighting COVID-19
Dear Mr. MacGregor:
You are my MP, please consider this idea.
Down through the centuries, our men and women have been called upon to take up the challenge. All of us have ancestors who have fought, bled and died for this country. Yet again they are being called upon to protect us and save us from this invisible enemy. In retrospect, I had it easy, my enemy had a different uniform. Those being called upon today don’t have that luxury. Yet they go to work, knowing that they might become a casualty.
In the past, when we put our young volunteers in harm’s way, we recognized them by presenting them with a medal for their unselfish contribution for the betterment of all Canadians.
In 2012 our Canadian government presented 60,000 medals called Queen Elizabeth II diamond Jubilee medal. Only 11,000 were presented to our men and women in the military. Ten thousand non-governmental organizations, 3,120 to our senators, 30 each, keep one for yourself, and hand out the other 29 to whomever. What a disgrace! I take my hat’s off to the two mayors in rural Ontario who returned their medals, deploring the Federation of Canadian Municipalities choice to distribute the medals to all sitting mayors, automatically, stating that the award should have been based on merit deserving of the honour. Some recipients of the medal have been criticized for offering their medals for sale on eBay! To add insult to injury, this medal is allowed to be worn on the left side. In my opinion, total disgrace shown towards all those that have truly done something for their country, for example, served, bled and died!
What I am trying to emphasize, is that we should create a medal that truly would mean something to all Canadians! The Canadian government should create a medal that would honor all those on the front lines fighting for all of us.
We all know someone, possibly a family member, who is laying their life on the line for all of us. Yes, I am sure, that they appreciate our pot clanging at 7 p.m., but when all is said and done and the war has been won by these wonderful people who are extraordinary, selfless, putting themselves in harm’s way, we should acknowledge them with a medal and it better be allowed to be worn on the left side!
Wouldn’t it be wonderful, at the next Remembrance Day, for these brave ones to be recognized for what they did for all of us!
Larry Teague, retired, RCE
Shawnigan Lake
