On February 6, 2012, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, will mark the 60th anniversary of her becoming Queen. That anniversary has been marked only once before, by her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria in 1897.

In honour of Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee, 60,000 outstanding citizens across our country will receive the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. The distinctive commemorative medal was created to mark the 2012 celebrations of this diamond anniversary of the Queen’s reign. It’s a tangible way for Canada to honour Her Majesty for her service to our country. At the same time, it serves to honour the contributions and achievements of exceptional Canadians.

Together with the Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, I invite those living in the Yorkton-Melville Constituency to nominate fellow constituents for the distinguished honour of receiving the medal.

To be eligible to receive this award, the nominee must be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of our country. They may be seniors, volunteers, veterans, or youth, but they must be known for their significant contributions to a particular province, territory, region or community within Canada.

Nominees may also have accomplished an achievement abroad that brings credit to Canada, and need not necessarily reside in Canada.

The medal may be awarded after death, as long as the recipient was alive on Feb. 6, 2012.

Nominations, along with the nominator's full name and a contact number, must be e-mailed, mailed or faxed to one of many partnering organizations, including to my office. Include a short statement or a brief summary, approximately 40 words, of the nominee's achievements, along with their full name, rank and title, home address, and telephone number. Include a photo, if available.

The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal will be awarded to individuals only. All awards will be presented before February 28, 2013. As each organization is assigned a set number of medals, and is responsible for their own processing of nominations, submission deadlines may vary. Each organization is also responsible for arranging their own presentations.

If you know a worthy candidate I encourage you to contact either my office or one of the partnering organizations. For a complete list, and for more information about the nomination process, please visit www.gg.ca . Click on “It’s an Honour,” then follow the link to the Diamond Jubilee Medal. You may also send questions to diamondjubilee@gg.ca or by calling 613-998-6790 or 1-800-465-6890 (toll-free).

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The audio version of Garry's February 27, 2012 op-ed column can be heard by clicking here