Christopher McCreery: Queen Elizabeth Plugs His Book
It's probably not enough to zoom it to the top of the bestseller lists when it goes on sale today, but a new book chronicling the birth and development of the Order of Canada has one thing no other publication in Canadian history has had: A personal plug from the Queen.
Ottawa author Christopher McCreery, a historian who specializes in the study of Canada's constitutional monarchy, secured the royal nod of approval earlier this year and, yesterday in London, presented Buckingham Palace with the first copy of the freshly printed work.
Her Majesty's prefatory message makes note of the role that her father, King George VI, played in the origins of a Canadian honours system when he established the Canada Medal in 1943.
The Order of Canada was first presented in 1967 to celebrate the centennial of Confederation.
"For nearly 40 years, the Order has stood at the centre of the Canadian Honours system, giving due recognition to those who have excelled on the local, national and international stages. The stylized snowflake has come to be widely recognized as a mark of particular distinction and merit," the Queen writes in The Order of Canada: Its Origins, History and Development, published by University of Toronto Press.
Ottawa author Christopher McCreery, a historian who specializes in the study of Canada's constitutional monarchy, secured the royal nod of approval earlier this year and, yesterday in London, presented Buckingham Palace with the first copy of the freshly printed work.
Her Majesty's prefatory message makes note of the role that her father, King George VI, played in the origins of a Canadian honours system when he established the Canada Medal in 1943.
The Order of Canada was first presented in 1967 to celebrate the centennial of Confederation.
"For nearly 40 years, the Order has stood at the centre of the Canadian Honours system, giving due recognition to those who have excelled on the local, national and international stages. The stylized snowflake has come to be widely recognized as a mark of particular distinction and merit," the Queen writes in The Order of Canada: Its Origins, History and Development, published by University of Toronto Press.