The Order of British Columbia, which evolved out of and replaced the earlierOrder of the Dogwood, is intended to honour any current or former longtime resident ofBritish Columbia who has demonstrated a high level of individual excellence and achievement in any field, demonstrating the "greatest distinction and excell[ence] in any field of endeavour benefiting the people of the Province or elsewhere."[4] Only those who are elected or appointed members of a governmental body are ineligible as long as they hold office.[4] There are no limits on how many can belong to the order or be inducted at one time.
The process of finding qualified individuals begins with submissions from the public to the Order of British Columbia's advisory council, which consists of theChief Justice of British Columbia, who serves as the Chair; theSpeaker of the Legislative Assembly; a president, in turn, of one ofBritish Columbia's public universities, for a two-year term; the President of the Union ofBritish Columbia Municipalities; the Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Relations; and two Members of the order.[5] This committee then meets once yearly to make its selected recommendations 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 British Columbia.[6] The lieutenant governor,ex officio a Member and the Chancellor of the Order of British Columbia,[7] then makes all appointments into the fellowship's single grade of membership by anOrder in Council that bears theviceroyal sign-manual and the Great Seal of the province; thereafter, the new Members are entitled to use thepost-nominal lettersOBC.[8]
Former prime ministerKim Campbell wearing the insignia of the Order of British Columbia on a neck ribbonSteven Point, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia from 2007 to 2012, wearing the insignia of the Order of British Columbia at centre top (which is actually in the incorrectorder of precedence)
Upon admission into the Order of British Columbia, in a ceremony held atGovernment House inVictoria, new Members are presented with the order's insignia. The main badge consists of a gold medallion in the form of a stylized flower of thePacific Dogwood—the official provincial flower—with the obverse in whiteenamel with gold edging, and bearing at its centre theescutcheon of thearms of British Columbia, all surmounted by aSt. Edward's Crown symbolizing theCanadian monarch's role as thefount of honour.[9][10] The ribbon is patterned with vertical stripes in green, white, blue, and gold, reflecting the colours within the provincial coat of arms; men wear the medallion suspended from this ribbon at the collar, while women carry theirs on a ribbon bow at the left chest. Members will also receive for wear on casual clothing alapel pin, appearing as a smaller enamel Dogwood flower capped by a crown.[11]
^abBingham, Russell. "Culture > Awards > Order of British Columbia". In Marsh, James H. (ed.).The Canadian Encyclopedia. Toronto: Historica Foundation of Canada. Retrieved21 August 2009.
^abcdProtocol and Events Branch, Intergovernmental Relations Secretariat."Order of British Columbia". Queen's Printer for British Columbia. Archived fromthe original on 28 August 2009. Retrieved21 August 2009.
