Victoria Cross ( Canada ) The Victoria Cross ( ) is a military decoration of Canada modelled on the original British Victoria Cross — instituted in 1856 — in both intent and appearance , with several small changes . Created in 1993 , it and the original are the highest honours in the Canadian honours system ( though the latter is no longer presented to Canadians ) , taking precedence over all other orders , decorations , and medals . It is awarded by either the Canadian monarch or his or her viceregal representative , the Governor General of Canada , to any member of the Canadian Forces or allies serving under or with Canadian military command for extraordinary valour and devotion to duty while facing hostile forces . Whereas in many other Commonwealth countries the Victoria Cross can only be awarded for actions against the enemy in a wartime setting , the Canadian government has a broader definition of the term " enemy " , and so the Victoria Cross can be awarded for action against armed mutineers , pirates , or other such hostile forces without war being officially declared . Recipients are entitled to use the post - nominal letters " VC " ( for both English and French ) , and also to receive an annuity of C $ 3 , 000 . The decoration has not been awarded since its inception . Origin . The original Victoria Cross was created via a Royal Warrant issued on 29 January 1856 with the royal sign - manual of Queen Victoria , and was intended to recognize demonstrations of gallantry during the Crimean War , regardless of either a man ' s social status or his record of service . Initially , the Victoria Cross could not be conferred on colonial troops , until Major Charles Heaphy received the medal for his actions under British command in 1864 , after which the Victoria Cross was made available to all " local forces under imperial command . " The cross could also not be awarded posthumously until the policy was reversed in 1902 . Until 1972 , 81 members of the Canadian military ( including those from Newfoundland ) and 13 Canadians serving in British units had been awarded the Victoria Cross . After that date , however , the Canadian honours system was overhauled , and the Victoria Cross was eliminated from the official list of honours , instigating a decades - long debate on whether or not to reinstate the decoration . The prime minister at the time , Pierre Trudeau , regularly dodged questions about the Victoria Cross , stating that " only Canadians should receive Canadian decorations . " It was his successor , Brian Mulroney , who set up in 1987 a committee to look into the creation of a Canadian Victoria Cross as part of a new series of military honours . Although the committee did not recommend the Victoria Cross — names such as the " Canada Cross " and the " Cross of Military Valour " were put forward — the creation of an Australian Victoria Cross in 1991 and pressure from " The Globe and Mail " and advocacy group s , such as the Monarchist League of Canada and the Royal Canadian Legion , forced the plans to be amended ; in 1991 , a private member ' s bill received all - party support in the , following which the Victoria Cross , along with other Canadian military valour decorations , were on 31 December 1992 formally requested by Mulroney . The request was approved with the issue of letters patent by Queen Elizabeth II on 2 February of the following year , thereby ceasing Canadian dependence on the British honours system . Criteria . The Victoria Cross is awarded for " the most conspicuous bravery , a daring or pre - eminent act of valour or self - sacrifice or extreme devotion to duty , in the presence of the enemy " at any point after 1 January 1993 , may be presented posthumously , and , unlike its British counterpart , may be revoked . The main distinction between the Victoria Cross and the Cross of Valour is the specific reference to " the enemy " , which the Canadian government has defined as a force hostile towards the Canadian Crown , including armed mutineers , rebels , rioters , and pirates , meaning that the Queen - in - Council does not officially have to declare war to give acknowledgement of the existence of a hostile force that fits the official description . Thus , a Canadian serving as part of a peacekeeping operation is eligible to be awarded the Victoria Cross if the service member fulfils the above criteria . In the case of a gallant and daring act having been performed by a squadron , ship ' s company , or detached body of individuals ( such as a security detachment ) in which all persons were deemed equally brave and deserving of the Victoria Cross , a ballot is to be drawn ; the commissioned and non - commissioned officers each select one of their own , and the private soldiers or seamen select from amongst themselves two individuals . Conferment . The process of awarding the Victoria Cross may take place in two ways : One is through a recommendation by the Decorations and Commendations Advisory Committee , which is a part of the Department of National Defence and has six members , one appointed by the governor general and the rest by the chief of the Defence Staff . Alternatively , a field commander can submit a name for consideration , though permission must be obtained from the governor general before the award can be presented . Recipients are entitled to receive an annuity from the Crown in Right of Canada ; per the Canadian gallantry awards order issued in January 2005 , members of the Canadian Forces or those who joined the British forces while domiciled in Canada or Newfoundland prior to 31 March 1949 may , after receiving the Victoria Cross , be granted C $ 3 , 000 each year . Previously , Canadians who were posthumously awarded the British Victoria Cross were given special headstones at their burial sites in Commonwealth War Graves and other cemeteries . To date , no Canadian Victoria Cross has been conferred ; Smokey Smith , who died in 2005 , was the last Canadian recipient of the British Victoria Cross , receiving it from King George VI in 1945 . Prior to the ceremony , there was speculation that Queen Elizabeth II would , at the rededication of the Vimy Memorial at which she was to preside on 7 April 2007 , present a Victoria Cross to her Canadian prime minister at the time , Stephen Harper , in recognition of the gallantry of the Unknown Soldier , as representative of all Canadian forces casualties of combat . The proposal was met with a mixed response from members of the Royal Canadian Legion and Canadian Forces , detractors feeling that the Unknown Soldier should not be elevated above his other fallen comrades , and it had also been agreed at the time of the Unknown Soldier ' s repatriation that no award or decoration would be bestowed on the remains . No decision was taken about the awarding of the Canadian Victoria Cross to the Canadian Unknown Soldier . Appearance and display . The design of the Canadian medal is derived from that of the British original , which was the creation of Albert , Prince Consort , royal consort to Queen Victoria . Canada ' s Victoria Cross is thus a cross " pattée " with straight arms , across in each direction , and made out of bronze coloured alloy , the obverse bearing a lion crowned and statant guardant , similar to that which forms the crest of the Royal Arms of Canada , standing upon a representation of St . Edward ' s Crown , which itself rests above a semi - circular scroll . On the reverse is a raised circle for engraving the date of the act of gallantry along with the name , rank , and unit of the recipient . The medal is suspended from a link forming the letter " V " attached to a bar adorned on the front with laurel leaves , and on the reverse with the name , rank , and unit of the medal ' s recipient , all cast in the same metal as the medal , while the ribbon , also wide , is solid crimson in colour . Cathy Bursey - Sabourin , Fraser Herald of the Canadian Heraldic Authority , and Bruce W . Beatty , however , made certain modifications for the Canadian Victoria Cross , the most notable being the inclusion of Canadian flora as decoration and the alteration of the inscription on the scroll from " FOR VALOUR " to the Latin translation , " PRO VALORE " , so as to accommodate Canada ' s two official languages . In 2008 , Citizens for a Canadian Republic ' s leader , Tom Freda , publicly objected to the decoration ' s name and appearance , with what he saw as its " objectionable colonial symbolism , " royal iconography , and a shape offensive to Muslims and Jews . With Canada at war for the first time since its version of the Victoria Cross was created , preparations for a physical cast of the medal were initiated in 2006 , when a committee called the Victoria Cross Production Planning Group was formed under the leadership of the Chancellery of Honours at Rideau Hall . It originally consisted of representatives from the Department of National Defence , Veterans Affairs Canada , and the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General of Canada , and the group later expanded to include individuals from the Department of Canadian Heritage , Natural Resources Canada , and the Royal Canadian Mint , with assistance provided by the Queen and the British Ministry of Defence . Following their research and deliberations , the first Victoria Cross decoration was struck in 2007 , as confirmed by Deputy Herald Chancellor Emmanuelle Sajous , and the medal was officially released to the public on 16 May 2008 by Governor General Michaëlle Jean at Rideau Hall . It was one of 20 cast , each of which is composed of three groupings of metals : that of a Russian cannon captured at the siege of Sevastopol ( 18541855 ) , donated by Queen Elizabeth II ; a Confederation Medal , created to mark in 1867 ; and a selection of metals from each of Canada ' s regions . These were cast , rather than struck , continuing the tradition started in the United Kingdom when it was found the metal alloy was too brittle for striking , and finished at the Royal Canadian Mint . The first two were sent to Buckingham Palace for addition to the British Royal Collection and other specimens were kept as part of the Crown Collection at Rideau Hall , as well as at the Department of National Defence , Library and Archives Canada , and the Canadian War Museum . As the apex of the Canadian system of honours , the Victoria Cross is to be worn before all other Canadian decorations and insignia of orders , including the Order of Merit and the Order of Canada . It is worn as a medal , suspended from a medal bar on the left chest , unless protocol calls for a ribbon bar , which consists of a crimson ribbon with a miniature bronze Victoria Cross at its centre . Should an individual receive multiple awards of the Victoria Cross , additional bronze medal bars are added to the ribbon and further miniatures are placed evenly on the ribbon bar , reflecting the number of crosses the wearer has earned .