General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

1

Total Parts

5

AKA

Insignia

Patents

N/A

General Description

Metal insignia badge.

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

2.4 cm

Width

1.2 cm

Height

N/A

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Aviation

Category

Clothing

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

Unknown

Country

Unknown

State/Province

Unknown

City

Unknown

Context

Country

Canada

State/Province

British Columbia

Period

2020-2023

Canada

Lieutenant-Colonel Steven P. Deschamps CD (Ret’d) was born in Cornwall, Ontario in 1956. He served as a Royal Canadian Air Cadet from 1969 to 1974. Deschamps enrolled in the RCAF Reserve in 1975 and in the Regular Forces in 1979. In 1982, Deschamps was discharged from the RCAF for being gay as part of the “LGBT Purge,” the name given to the systematic discrimination by the CAF, RCMP, and federal public service against 2SLGBTQIA+ members from the 1950s until the 1990s. In 1992, the policy that formalized the LGBT Purge in the military was repealed (Ref. 2), and Deschamps rejoined the RCAF as a Reserve Officer, serving with the Air Cadets until his retirement in 2013. In 2022, Deschamps was appointed Honorary Colonel of RCAF 443 Squadron, Victoria, British Columbia. The Canada Pride Citation (CPC) was created as part of the LGBT Purge Final Settlement Agreement, which was signed in 2018, and is awarded to class members on behalf of the Canadian Government, in recognition of their service to Canada and the hardships endured due to the LGBT Purge (Ref. 3). Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the CPC was sent to Deschamps by mail on June 16, 2020, in place of an in-person ceremony (Ref. 4). Deschamps’ CPC represents the individual reconciliation and recognition measures that the Canadian Government has undertaken to apologize to Purge survivors.

Function

To be worn on clothing and uniforms to indicate having received the Canada Pride Citation.

Technical

Approved by the Government of Canada in 2018, the Canada Pride Citation was designed by Claire Boudreau, the Chief Herald of Canada, with the assistance of the heralds of the Canadian Heraldic Authority (Ref. 5). The recipient is awarded two pins: one Insignia to be worn on a) civilian clothing on occasions when wearing of full-size or miniature honours is appropriate and/or b) on a uniform when its wear is authorized by the policies or regulations that govern the wear of insignia on the uniform in question; and one Lapel Pin to be worn daily on civilian clothing on occasions when wearing full-size or miniaturize honours insignia is not appropriate (Ref. 6). The lapel pin features the badge of the Canada Pride Citation, described as “a lozenge charged with a maple leaf Argent and within a bordure compony Or, Vert, Bleu Céleste, Azure, Purpure, Rose, Gules and Tenné” (Ref. 5). The insignia pin is designed as “a billet fesswise pointed at each end charged with a maple leaf Argent between to the dexter four chevrons fesswise couché Rose, Gules, Tenné, and Or, and to the sinister four chevrons contourné couché Vert, Bleu Céleste, Azure and Purpure” (Ref. 5). The Canada Pride Citation’s double-arrow shape symbolizes the importance of remembering the past injustices done to 2SLGBTQIA+ Canadians working within the federal public service, CAF, and RCMP. It is also a symbol of hope, and represents Canada’s commitment towards building a better, more equal society. The maple leaf represents Canada and service to the country. The eight colours, (pink, red, orange, yellow, green, turquoise, indigo, and violet) represent the original 1978 Pride flag (Ref. 5).

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

None apparent

Missing

Appears complete

Finish

Silver-coloured pin and fasteners with pink, red, orange, yellow, green, turquoise, blue, and violet chevrons.

Decoration

Eight chevrons, four facing left and four facing right with a raised maple leaf in the middle.