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S-246 — An Act respecting the recognition of wartime service
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S-246
An Act respecting the recognition of wartime service
ISG
In progress
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BILL S-246
An Act respecting the recognition of wartime service
Last activity : At second reading in the House of Commons
ISG
In progress
Senate · 1st2026-04-16Senate · 2nd2026-05-05Senate · 3rd2026-06-04Commons · 1st2026-06-08Commons · 2ndCommons · 3rdRoyal assent
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What it does, in plain language
- Requires the Minister of National Defence to build a "national framework" for recognizing certain military service as wartime service.
- Requires the framework to set out objective criteria for designation, symbolic and commemorative measures, and recognition for non-military personnel who served alongside or supported a Canadian Armed Forces operation.
- Lists the factors the criteria must weigh: level of risk, the nature and intensity of operations, exposure to conditions that can cause physical or psychological injury, and the existence of an armed conflict even without a declared war.
- Bars any reliance on the official label or description given to the mission at the time it took place.
- Mandates consultations with the Minister of Veterans Affairs, veterans and advocacy groups, non-military personnel who served alongside the Forces, and military history experts.
- Sets deadlines: the framework must be tabled in Parliament within one year of the Act taking effect and posted online within 10 days, with follow-up reports after 5 years and every 10 years after that.
- Requires, within 180 days of the framework being tabled, a review of every Canadian Armed Forces operation since July 27, 1953, and Cabinet designation of service meeting the criteria; new operations must be assessed within one year.
- States that designation brings no new financial benefit, and creates a public, searchable list of Forces operations updated within 60 days of a new operation.
- Comes into force the day after royal assent.
🤖 AI-generated from the bill’s official text as introduced — may not reflect amendments adopted since.
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