The Meritorious Service Medal, for both divisions, is in the form of a circular, silver disc with, on the obverse, a raised Greek cross, the ends splayed and rounded, a laurel wreath visible between them, and a St. Edward's Crown, as a symbol of the Canadian monarch's role as the fount of honour, capping the top arm beyond the circumference of the medal. At the cross' centre is a roundel bearing a maple leaf, and on the reverse is two concentric circles, the inner one containing an etched Royal Cypher of the reigning monarch and Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Forces, and the outer one engraved with the wordsMERITORIOUS SERVICE MÉRITOIRE. This medallion is worn on the left chest, on a wide, blue and white ribbon; however, that for the military division has only four white stripes, paired and centred on the outer third of each side of the ribbon, while that for the civilian division has an additional 1mm wide white stripe centred between the other four. For men, the cross is hung from a bar, and for women, on a ribbon bow, both pinned to the left chest. Should an individual already possessing a Meritorious Service Medal be awarded the medal again, he or she is granted a medal bar, in silver and bearing a central maple leaf, for wear on the ribbon from which the original medal is suspended.
Eligibility and receipt
On 6 June 1991, Queen Elizabeth II, on the advice of her Cabinet under Prime MinisterBrian Mulroney, created the Meritorious Service Medal to recognize highly professional acts that are of considerable benefit, to the Canadian Forces by military personnel, and to the nation by civilians. Any person, living or deceased, may be nominated for the medal: the military division is awarded to members of the Canadian Forces, or of any foreign military allied with Canada, and nominations come from commanding officers; the civilian division is open to both Canadians and foreigners, and nominations may be submitted by any person. In all cases, however, the event being recognized must have taken place in Canada or involved Canadian citizens. As of August 2009, the Meritorious Service Medal has been presented to 568 people—279 in the military division and 289 in the civilian—all of whom are permitted to use the post-nominal letters MSM.
