Special Service Medal Investiture Ceremony

The Canadian Rangers wore red and the Governor General wore black on Valentine's Day as 17 Canadian Rangers from across Canada were presented with the Canadian Ranger Bar to accompany the Special Service Medal (SSM).

The 17 Canadian Rangers came to Ottawa from all areas of the country, some of them travelling by plane for the first time, to make this journey. The recipients ranged in age from 34 to 78 and represented all five geographical areas of Canada. Between them, the 17 recipients spoke as many as seven different languages, and because there is no mandatory retirement age for the Canadian Rangers, they have nearly 300 combined years of service in the Canadian Forces between them.

The Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson thanked the Canadian Rangers for their continuous dedication and praised them for their exemplary service over the past 50 years.

"You are leaders in your own communities. People turn to you during disasters, times of crisis. Then too, you are guides - helping people find their way through barren times, which is probably an even more daunting task than showing the way across the remote areas of the north."

The former Chief of the Defence Staff, General Maurice Baril, added his own words of praise, saying, "I believe it's an outstanding program. The Canadian Rangers contribute to the defense of our country by maintaining a military presence up North, by performing search and rescue, and by contributing to the welfare of the community." He echoed the Governor General's sentiments about the unique role of the Canadian Rangers and expressed his desire to see the Canadian Rangers program expand in the future from its current ceiling of 4,000 members.

Canadian Ranger, MCpl Jimmy Tassugat from 1st Canadian Ranger Patrol Group (CRPG) Clyde River, Nunavut, expressed his tremendous pride at being selected to receive this prestigious medal on behalf of his fellow Rangers. "I am very thankful. I've never had a medal like this before and coming here to meet all these new people is very special. The medal I got is going to be in my heart forever."

Fellow Canadian Ranger, Sgt Vallee Saunders from 2 CRPG, Kuujjuak, Quebec agreed, "It was a great honour to be able to come and see Rideau Hall and to meet our colleagues. Being a Canadian Ranger is something to be proud of. "

For some of the Canadian Rangers like Rgr Phillip Zoe, an elder from Wha'ti, Northwest Territories, coming to Ottawa represented something he never dreamed could happen in his lifetime. Speaking through his translator Sgt Nick Mantla, Deputy Mayor of Lac La Marte, Dogrib Sub Chief and fellow Canadian Ranger, tears came to Zoe's eyes as he talked about how much it meant to him to see the Parliament buildings in person after having looked at pictures of them in books for more than 50 years. Both individuals said they felt honoured to have met their fellow Canadian Rangers as well as the Governor General and the Chief of the Defence Staff.

MCpl Lily Kerr of Telegraph Creek, B.C., a recent inductee to the Canadian Rangers program with only five years service, and one of only two women to receive the medal on Feb. 14th, also expressed her feelings about being recognized in this fashion.

"It's an honour and a privilege for me to be here today to meet the Governor General and to receive this medal. Being a Canadian Ranger has given me such confidence and has shown me that I can accomplish things that are normally seen as men's jobs. I find that very empowering. My friends and family are very proud of me - after all I'm a grandmother twice over and should be home knitting and doing those types of things, but instead I'm out there with the Canadian Rangers doing search and rescue, and rappelling down cliffs. It's such a special program and everyone is very supportive of each other. I love being a Canadian Ranger."

Many of the 4,000 Canadian Rangers are eligible for the Special Service medal and several of them will receive them in person from the Governor General as she conducts her territorial tour of Nunavut, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories this spring.