Order of Newfoundland and Labrador
Encyclopedia
The Order of Newfoundland and Labrador is a civilian
honour
for merit in the Canadian province
of Newfoundland and Labrador
. Instituted in 2001, when Lieutenant Governor
Arthur Maxwell House
granted Royal Assent
to the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador Act, the order is administered by the Governor-in-Council
and is intended to honour current or former Newfoundland and Labrador residents for conspicuous achievements in any field, being thus described as the highest honour amongst all others conferred by the Newfoundland and Labrador Crown
.
who has demonstrated a high level of individual excellence and achievement in any field, having "demonstrated excellence and achievement in any field of endeavour benefiting in an outstanding manner Newfoundland and Labrador and its residents." There are no limits on how many can belong to the order, though inductions are limited to eight per year; Canadian citizenship is a requirement, and those who are elected or appointed members of a governmental body are ineligible as long as they hold office.
The process of finding qualified individuals begins with submissions from the public to the Secretary of the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador Advisory Council, which consists of the Clerk of the Executive Council and five persons appointed by the lieutenant governor: two Members of the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador and four other individuals. This committee then meets at least once annually to make its selected recommendations to the Executive Council and works with that body in narrowing down the potential appointees to a list that will be submitted to the lieutenant governor; posthumous nominations are not accepted, though an individual who dies after his or her name was submitted to the Advisory Council can still be retroactively made a Member of the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador. Further, anyone not meeting the requirements of admission may be invested as an honorary Member. The lieutenant governor, ex officio a Member and the Chancellor of the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador, then makes all appointments into the fellowship's single grade of membership by an Order in Council that bears the viceroyal sign-manual
and the Great Seal of the province; thereafter, the new Members are entitled to use the post-nominal letters
ONL.
in St. John's
, new Members are presented with the order's insignia. The main badge consists of a gold
medallion in the form of a stylized sarracenia purpurea
(or purple pitcher plant) the official provincial flower with the obverse in marbleized green enamel
with gold edging, and bearing at its centre the escutcheon of the arms of Newfoundland and Labrador
, all surmounted by a St. Edward's Crown
symbolizing the Canadian monarch's role as the fount of honour
. The ribbon is patterned with vertical stripes in blue, white, and two shades of green; men wear the medallion suspended from this ribbon at the collar, while women carry theirs on a ribbon bow at the left chest. Members also receive a lapel pin that can be worn during less formal occasions.
Civilian
A civilian under international humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her country's armed forces or other militia. Civilians are distinct from combatants. They are afforded a degree of legal protection from the effects of war and military occupation...
honour
Award
An award is something given to a person or a group of people to recognize excellence in a certain field; a certificate of excellence. Awards are often signifiedby trophies, titles, certificates, commemorative plaques, medals, badges, pins, or ribbons...
for merit in the Canadian province
Provinces and territories of Canada
The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second-largest country by area. There are ten provinces and three territories...
of Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
. Instituted in 2001, when Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador
The Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador is the viceregal representative in Newfoundland and Labrador of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the ten other jurisdictions of Canada and resides predominantly...
Arthur Maxwell House
Arthur Maxwell House
Arthur Maxwell House, is a Canadian neurologist and the tenth Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador.Born in Glovertown, he graduated from medical school at Dalhousie University in 1952...
granted Royal Assent
Royal Assent
The granting of royal assent refers to the method by which any constitutional monarch formally approves and promulgates an act of his or her nation's parliament, thus making it a law...
to the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador Act, the order is administered by the Governor-in-Council
Queen-in-Council
The Queen-in-Council is, in each of the Commonwealth realms, the technical term of constitutional law that refers to the exercise of executive authority, denoting the monarch acting by and with the advice and consent of his or her privy council or executive council The Queen-in-Council (during...
and is intended to honour current or former Newfoundland and Labrador residents for conspicuous achievements in any field, being thus described as the highest honour amongst all others conferred by the Newfoundland and Labrador Crown
Monarchy in Newfoundland and Labrador
By the arrangements of the Canadian federation, the Canadian monarchy operates in Newfoundland and Labrador as the core of the province's Westminster-style parliamentary democracy...
.
Structure and appointment
The Order of Newfoundland and Labrador is intended to honour any current or former long time resident of Newfoundland and LabradorNewfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
who has demonstrated a high level of individual excellence and achievement in any field, having "demonstrated excellence and achievement in any field of endeavour benefiting in an outstanding manner Newfoundland and Labrador and its residents." There are no limits on how many can belong to the order, though inductions are limited to eight per year; Canadian citizenship is a requirement, and those who are elected or appointed members of a governmental body are ineligible as long as they hold office.
The process of finding qualified individuals begins with submissions from the public to the Secretary of the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador Advisory Council, which consists of the Clerk of the Executive Council and five persons appointed by the lieutenant governor: two Members of the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador and four other individuals. This committee then meets at least once annually to make its selected recommendations to the Executive Council and works with that body in narrowing down the potential appointees to a list that will be submitted to the lieutenant governor; posthumous nominations are not accepted, though an individual who dies after his or her name was submitted to the Advisory Council can still be retroactively made a Member of the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador. Further, anyone not meeting the requirements of admission may be invested as an honorary Member. The lieutenant governor, ex officio a Member and the Chancellor of the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador, then makes all appointments into the fellowship's single grade of membership by an Order in Council that bears the viceroyal sign-manual
Royal sign-manual
The royal sign manual is the formal name given in the Commonwealth realms to the autograph signature of the sovereign, by the affixing of which the monarch expresses his or her pleasure either by order, commission, or warrant. A sign-manual warrant may be either an executive actfor example, an...
and the Great Seal of the province; thereafter, the new Members are entitled to use the post-nominal letters
Post-nominal letters
Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials, post-nominal titles or designatory letters, are letters placed after the name of a person to indicate that the individual holds a position, educational degree, accreditation, office, or honour. An individual may use several different sets of...
ONL.
Insignia
Upon admission into the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador, usually in a ceremony held at Government HouseGovernment House (Newfoundland and Labrador)
Government House is the official residence of the Lieutenant-Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador. Government House was a by-product of the wave of administrative initiatives that took place during the 1820s. The royal charter of 1825 bestowed official colonial status for Newfoundland.The first...
in St. John's
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...
, new Members are presented with the order's insignia. The main badge consists of a gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
medallion in the form of a stylized sarracenia purpurea
Sarracenia purpurea
Sarracenia purpurea, commonly known as the purple pitcher plant, northern pitcher plant, or side-saddle flower, is a carnivorous plant in the family Sarraceniaceae...
(or purple pitcher plant) the official provincial flower with the obverse in marbleized green enamel
Vitreous enamel
Vitreous enamel, also porcelain enamel in U.S. English, is a material made by fusing powdered glass to a substrate by firing, usually between 750 and 850 °C...
with gold edging, and bearing at its centre the escutcheon of the arms of Newfoundland and Labrador
Coat of arms of Newfoundland and Labrador
The coat of arms of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador was originally granted by King Charles I of England on 13 November 1638-History:...
, all surmounted by a St. Edward's Crown
St. Edward's Crown
St Edward's Crown was one of the English Crown Jewels and remains one of the senior British Crown Jewels, being the official coronation crown used in the coronation of first English, then British, and finally Commonwealth realms monarchs...
symbolizing the Canadian monarch's role as the fount of honour
Fount of honour
The fount of honour refers to a nation's head of state, who, by virtue of his or her official position, has the exclusive right of conferring legitimate titles of nobility and orders of chivalry to other persons.- Origin :...
. The ribbon is patterned with vertical stripes in blue, white, and two shades of green; men wear the medallion suspended from this ribbon at the collar, while women carry theirs on a ribbon bow at the left chest. Members also receive a lapel pin that can be worn during less formal occasions.
Inductees
The following are some notable appointees of the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador:- Michael B. AdamMike AdamMichael B. Adam, ONL is a Canadian curler. He was born in Labrador City, Newfoundland and Labrador), where he currently lives.Adam was the alternate for the Canadian 2006 Winter Olympics curling team skipped by Brad Gushue...
, gold medal Olympian, appointed 2006 - Edgar Albert BairdEdgar BairdEdgar Albert Baird, ONL was a businessman born in Campbellton Newfoundland, Canada. Baird was the founder of the Newfoundland chapter of the Junior Forest Rangers, and worked in the forestry and aviation industry where he was Chief Woods Ranger for Newfoundland, responsible for forest fire...
, businessman, appointed 2004 - Gary GrahamGary Graham (musician)Gary Graham LMus, BA, BMus, ONL musician born in Wolfville Nova Scotia, Canada. His early musical education began at the Banff Centre while still a teenager and continued at the Music School of Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, and later at McGill University in Montreal.A long-time...
, musician, appointed 2004 - Bradley Raymond GushueBrad GushueBradley Raymond "Brad" Gushue, ONL is a Canadian curler from Mount Pearl, Newfoundland and Labrador. Gushue, along with teammates Russ Howard, Mark Nichols, Jamie Korab and Mike Adam, represented Canada in curling at the 2006 Winter Olympics, where they won the gold medal by defeating Finland...
, gold medal Olympian, appointed 2006 - Russell W. HowardRuss HowardRussell W. "Russ" Howard, ONL is a Canadian curler and Olympic champion, based in Moncton, New Brunswick, but originally from Midland, Ontario. His home club in Moncton is Curling Beausejour...
, gold medal Olympian, appointed 2006 - Paul Jolliffe JohnsonPaul Johnson (philanthropist)Paul Jolliffe Johnson, ONL businessman and philanthropist born St. John's Newfoundland Canada, son of Marjorie and Arthur Johnson. Educated Prince of Wales College; King's College School, Windsor, Nova Scotia; Mount Allison Academy; Mount Allison University.A Commerce graduate, Johnson became...
, businessman and philanthropist, appointed 2004 - Jamie A. KorabJamie KorabJamie A. Korab, ONL is a Canadian curler.Korab was the lead for the Canadian men's team at the 2006 Winter Olympics skipped by Brad Gushue....
, gold medal Olympian, appointed 2006 - Mark NicholsMark NicholsMark Nichols, ONL is a Canadian curler from Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.Nichols played third for the Brad Gushue rink from 1999 to 2011, and represented Canada at the 2006 Winter Olympics. With Gushue, Nichols has been to three Canadian Junior Curling Championships and six Briers...
, gold medal Olympian, appointed 2006 - Paul O'NeillPaul O'Neill (author)Paul O'Neill, OC is a writer, historian and former CBC producer. He has written many books on the history of Newfoundland. O'Neill was born in St. John's, Newfoundland, and raised in Bay de Verde until the age of 8 when his family moved to St. John's.Educated at St. Bonaventure's College in St...
, author and producer, appointed 2007 - Edward Moxon RobertsEdward Roberts-External links:**...
, former Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador, appointed 2004 - James A. TuckJames Tuck (archaeologist)James A. Tuck, ONL, FRSC is an archaeologist born in New York State. With a doctoral degree from Syracuse University, he began teaching and doing archaeology at Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada. From the late 1960s to the present he has been instrumental in clarifying the...
, archaeologist, appointed 2004 - Otto TuckerOtto TuckerOtto Tucker, CM, ONL born Winterton, Trinity Bay, Newfoundland, Canada, recipient of the Order of Canada for his work in heritage affairs and the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador for his efforts that have made significant contributions to both the educational and cultural sectors of the...
, cultural historian, appointed 2004 - Henry Vokey (Master Boat Builder)
See also
- Canadian order of precedence (decorations and medals)Canadian order of precedence (Decorations and Medals)The following is the Canadian order of precedence for decorations and medals. Where applicable, post-nominal letters are indicated.-Awards of valour:-National orders:-Provincial orders:-National decorations:-National medals:...
- Symbols of Newfoundland and LabradorSymbols of Newfoundland and LabradorNewfoundland and Labrador is one of Canada's provinces, and has established several provincial symbols.-Official symbols:...
- State decorationState decorationState decorations are orders, medals and other decorations granted by a state. International decorations are similar, but are not granted by a specific nation but rather an international organization....