Special Service Medal (Canada)

Special Service Medal
Special Service Medal showing obverse and reverse
Awarded by the monarch of Canada
Country	Canada
Type	Service medal
Eligibility	Members of the Canadian Forces
Awarded for	Service performed under exceptional circumstances.
Status	Currently awarded
Clasps	Pakistan 1989-90 Peace-Paix Alert NATO-OTAN Humanitas Ranger Expedition
Post-nominals	None
Statistics
Established	16 June 1984
Total awarded	76,749
Precedence
Next (higher)	Operational Service Medal (Canada)
Next (lower)	Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal
Ribbon bar of the medal

The Special Service Medal (French: Médaille du service spécial) is a service medal awarded to members of the Canadian Forces. The medal was established by letters patent by Queen Elizabeth II on 16 June 1984. Recipients of this medal must have performed, "service under exceptional circumstances". The medal is always issued with a bar which specifies the special service which the medal recognizes. Each bar has its own criteria.

The medal is made of copper and zinc alloy and is circular, 36 millimetres (1.4 in) in diameter. The obverse depicts a maple leaf surrounded by a laurel wreath. The reverse contains the inscription "SPECIAL SERVICE SPÉCIAL", curving along the bottom edge of the medal. In the centre is the St Edward's Crown and Royal Cypher. A single-toed claw attaches at the top of the medal suspending it from a straight slotted bar, which hangs from the medal's ribbon.

The ribbon is 32 millimetres (1.3 in) wide. It has a dark green centre stripe flanked by white stripes, with red stripes at the edge. The white and red stripes are the same width.

The bars are sewn to the medal's ribbon. These bars are made of silver coloured metal, with a raised border and the name of the qualifying special service on a pebble textured background.

To indicate additional awards of the medal, upon the ribbon bar, a silver maple leaf is worn to indicate two awards of the medal, gold for three and a red maple leaf for four.

Authorized 6 June 1991 for no less than 90 days of service attached to the United Nations Mine Awareness and Clearance Training Program in Pakistan. The qualifying period of service was from 15 March 1989 and ending on 29 July 1990. As there have been no additional qualifying periods of service, this bar is no longer eligible for award. Those who were awarded this bar may, at their discretion, exchange it for the United Nations Special Service Medal.

Authorized 26 November 1992, the Alert bar recognizes a cumulative 180 days of honourable service posted to CFS Alert. It may also recognize honourable service with a military force deployed on operations to or at CFS Alert, since the beginning of its operation on 1 September 1958 to the present.