MP Laurie Hawn Awards 30 Diamond Jubilee Medals

Edmonton, AB – Today, the Honourable Laurie Hawn, PC, CD, MP for Edmonton Centre celebrated the accomplishments of 30 outstanding citizens by awarding those individuals Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medals for their contributions to their local community, and to Canada.

“It is an honour to be able to recognize thirty Edmontonians who have made significant contributions to their communities,” said MP Laurie Hawn.

On February 6, 2012, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II marked the 60th anniversary of her accession to the Throne as Queen of Canada. In celebration of this event, a commemorative medal was created to recognize 60,000 outstanding Canadian of all ages and all walks of life, who have built and continue to better our society and build our country through their services, contributions and achievements.

“The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal recognizes service; the kind of service that Her Majesty the Queen, herself, exemplifies so well. To have His Honour Colonel (Retired) Donald S. Ethell, the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta as our official presenter is very special, since he has provided such a wonderful example of service during his long military career and afterwards.”

The 30 recipients were selected from over 150 applications from Edmonton and the surrounding area after an advertising campaign in the spring. Four members of the community from different career and cultural backgrounds were selected to form an independent committee to select the recipients. The committee reviewed all the nominations over a three day process, to eventually narrow applicants down to the 30 well deserving Edmontonians who were presented with medals today.

“Each of our medal recipients has made unique and significant contributions in a wide variety of fields of endeavour, all of which have made our community and Canada a better place to live,” said MP Laurie Hawn.

Commemorative medals are established from time to time to mark special anniversaries or occasions. They are typically awarded to recognize contributions made by Canadians from a broad spectrum of society. Other commemorative medals created in Canada include the Canadian Centennial Medal (1967); the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal (1977); the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal (1992); and the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (2002).

The Diamond Jubilee is an opportunity to celebrate Canada’s traditions, history, symbols, values and institutions, particularly the role of the Crown in Canada.  It is also an opportunity to honour Her Majesty’s extraordinary dedication and service to Canada and to celebrate our country’s many achievements during Her Majesty’s reign.

“It takes many people to make a difference in the quality of life in a community, and each of our Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal recipients has been that kind of person,” concluded MP Hawn.