The Saskatchewan Order of Merit is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

. Instituted in 1985 by Lieutenant Governor Frederick Johnson, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier Grant Devine, the order is administered by the

Governor-in-Council The King-in-Council or the Queen-in-Council, depending on the gender of the reigning monarch, is a constitutional term in a number of states. In a general sense, it refers to the monarch exercising executive authority, usually in the form of appr ...

and is intended to honour current or former Saskatchewan residents for conspicuous achievements in any field, being thus described in law as the highest honour amongst all others conferred by the Saskatchewan Crown.

Structure and appointment

The Saskatchewan Order of Merit is intended to honour any Canadian citizen currently or formerly resident in Saskatchewan who has demonstrated a high level of individual excellence and achievement in any field, improving the "social, cultural and economic well-being of the province and its residents"; the process of finding such individuals begins with call for nominations put out each spring by the Saskatchewan Honours Advisory Council. There are no limitations on population, but only ten new members may be created each year. After the annual call for nominations, the Saskatchewan Honours Advisory Council makes its recommendations to the lieutenant governor. Posthumous nominations are accepted within one year of the date of death, and in 2001 the Provincial Emblems and Honours Act was amended to allow for honorary membership in the order, granted to those who are neither current nor former residents of Saskatchewan; Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, was the first honorary member of the Saskatchewan Order of Merit, appointed on 24 April 2001. The

lieutenant governor of Saskatchewan The lieutenant governor of Saskatchewan () is the representative in Saskatchewan of the monarch, who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the ten other jurisdictions of Canada. The lieutenant governor of Sas ...

, who is a member and the chancellor of the Saskatchewan Order of Merit and remains a member following his or her departure from viceregal office, then makes all appointments into the fellowship's single grade of membership by

letters patent Letters patent (plurale tantum, plural form for singular and plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, President (government title), president or other head of state, generally granti ...

bearing the viceroyal sign-manual and the Great Seal of the province; thereafter, the new members are entitled to use the

post-nominal letters Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials, post-nominal titles, designatory letters, or simply post-nominals, are letters placed after a person's name to indicate that the individual holds a position, an academic degree, accreditation ...

''SOM'' and have their portrait added to the Athabasca Gallery at the

Saskatchewan Legislative Building The Saskatchewan Legislative Building is located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, and houses the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan. History The Saskatchewan Legislative Building was built between 1908 and 1912 in the Be ...

Insignia

Upon admission into the Saskatchewan Order of Merit, members are presented with the order's insignia at a ceremony held either at Government House in Regina or at a venue in

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

. According to The Provincial Emblems and Honours Act, which stipulates the design of the order's badges and ribbon and how they are worn, the main emblem of the order is a

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

medallion in the form of a six pointed star—an abstract rendition of a western red lilly, the province's official flower. The obverse is coated in white enamel and bears the escutcheon of

Coat of arms of Saskatchewan The coat of arms of Saskatchewan, officially known as His Majesty's Arms in right of Saskatchewan, is the heraldic symbol representing the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The arms, consisting of only the escutcheon (heraldry), shield, was a ...

within a circular ribbon that displays the provincial motto——all topped by St. Edward's Crown symbolizing the Canadian monarch's role as the

fount of honour The fount of honour () is a person, who, by virtue of their official position, has the exclusive right of conferring legitimate titles of nobility and orders of chivalry on other persons. Origin During the High Middle Ages, European knights ...

. This medallion is hung from a ribbon with a green-gold-green, vertical striped pattern, at the collar for men, and on a bow pinned at the left chest for women. Members also receive for wear on informal clothing a lapel pin in the form of a stylized western red lily bearing St. Edward's Crown.

Inductees

The following are some notable appointees of the Saskatchewan Order of Merit: * Murad Al-Katib, agricultural entrepreneur, appointed 2017 * Freda Ahenakew , author and academic, appointed 2005 * John Hall Archer , librarian and historian, appointed 1987 * Don Atchison SOM, Mayor of

, appointed 2019 * Lorne Allan Babiuk , immunologist, molecular virologist, and vaccinologist, appointed 2003 * Marcel Alter Baltzan ,

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

and

nephrologist Nephrology is a specialty for both adult internal medicine and pediatric medicine that concerns the study of the kidneys, specifically normal kidney function (renal physiology) and kidney disease (renal pathophysiology), the preservation of kid ...

, appointed 1999 * Lloyd Ingram Barber , Chancellor of the

University of Regina The University of Regina is a public university located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Founded in 1911 as a private denominational high school of the Methodist Church of Canada, it began an association with the University of Saskatchewan as a j ...

, appointed 1995 * Byrna Barclay , author, appointed 2004 * Edward Dmytro Bayda , Chief Justice of Saskatchewan, appointed 2008 * Bruce W. Beatty, graphic designer, posthumously appointed 2011 * Allan Emrys Blakeney , Premier of Saskatchewan, appointed 2000 * Elizabeth Winifred Brewster , poet and academic, appointed 2008 * Sharon Butala , writer and conservationist, appointed 2009 * Angus Daniel Campbell , founder of the Northern Ontario Hockey Association, appointed 1996 * Maria Campbell , author, playwright, broadcaster, filmmaker, appointed 2005 * Roger Colenso Carter , Dean, University of Saskatchewan College of Law, appointed 1998 * Edward Milton Culliton , Chief Justice of Saskatchewan, appointed 1988 * Donald Grant Devine, Premier of Saskatchewan, appointed 2009 * Thomas Clement Douglas , Premier of Saskatchewan, appointed 1985 * Joseph Fafard , sculpture artist, appointed 2002 * Walter Henry Farquharson ,

Moderator of the United Church of Canada The Moderator of the United Church of Canada is the most senior elected official within the United Church of Canada. He or she may be a lay person or a member of the clergy, Order of Ministry and is elected to a three-year term by commissioners ...

, appointed 2007 * David Leon Kaplan , professor, performer, and conductor, appointed 2006 * Dorothy Knowles , landscape artist, appointed 1987. * John Victor Hicks , poet, appointed 1992 * Frederick W. Hill , appointed 1999, businessman * Gordon MacMurchy , politician, appointed 1999 * Peggy McKercher , Chancellor of the

University of Saskatchewan The University of Saskatchewan (U of S, or USask) is a Universities in Canada, Canadian public university, public research university, founded on March 19, 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatch ...

, appointed 2001 * Kenneth Alexander Mitchell , actor, appointed 2001 * Robert Joseph Ogle , Roman Catholic priest, broadcaster, and politician, appointed 1995 * Thelma Pepper , artist, appointed 2018 * William Perehudoff , artist, appointed 1994 * Elizabeth Raum, oboist and composer, appointed 2010 * Edward Rawlinson , broadcaster, appointed 1989 * Garnet "Sam" Richardson , Curler, appointed 2005 * Roy John Romanow ,

Premier of Saskatchewan The premier of Saskatchewan is the first minister and head of government for the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The current premier of Saskatchewan is Scott Moe, who was sworn in as premier on February 2, 2018, after winning the 2018 Saska ...

, appointed 2003 * Allen Sapp , artist, appointed 1985 * Sandra Marie Schmirler , Olympic athlete, posthumously appointed 2000 * Morris Cyril Shumiatcher , civil rights lawyer, appointed 1996 * John William Tranter Spinks , appointed 1996 *

Savella Stechishin Savella Stechishin, , née Wawryniuk (August 19, 1903 – April 22, 2002), was a Ukrainian Canadians, Ukrainian-Canadian home economist and writer, recipient of the Order of Canada. She has been described as "an ethnocultural social maternal fem ...

, home economist and writer, appointed 1998 * Anne Szumigalski , poet, appointed 1989 * Guy Clarence Vanderhaeghe , author, appointed 2003 *

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

, King of Canada, appointed 2001 * Ernest Walker , archaeologist and academic, appointed 2001 * Pamela Wallin , television journalist and diplomat, appointed 1999 * James Vernon Weisgerber ,

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, appointed 2005 *

Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh (Edward Antony Richard Louis; born 10 March 1964) is a member of the British royal family. He is the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the youngest sibling of King ...

, member of the Canadian Royal Family, appointed 2005 * Stephen Worobetz , Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, appointed 1999 * Clifford Emerson Wright , Mayor of

, appointed 1999 * Sylvia Fedoruk, Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, appointed 1986

Notes

References

External links

Saskatchewan Order of Merit webpage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saskatchewan Order of Merit

Order of Merit The Order of Merit () is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by Edward VII, admission into the order r ...