Branches may become aware of suspected cases of Stolen Valour through a number of possible ways:
From Legion Levels of Authority who would in turn have found out through a member complaint or from Stolen Valour Canada (SVC).
On line, through social media, report from the public, or the SVC website.
In any of these cases, it is important to respect our members’ right to due process and to have their side heard. At the same time, fraudulent wearing of medals or uniforms is a federal crime, and branch executives are responsible to protect their branch’s reputation and the reputation of the Royal Canadian Legion.
When made aware of suspected Stolen Valour, branch Presidents are to:
Identify someone who can speak to the person accused of Stolen Valour. That individual can be the President themselves, or a trusted member of the branch who the person accused is comfortable talking to.
Explain the accusation to the person, and explain the potential impact on the branch and the Legion if it were to be true.
Give the person the opportunity to tell their side of the story. Ideally, the conversation will either clear up the situation by providing the President evidence that there is no case, or it will allow the person accused the opportunity to understand the potential harm they could cause and give them an opportunity to redeem themselves by surrendering those items that they were wearing fraudulently.
Report to their Command headquarters through the appropriate channels how the issue has been resolved.
If the individual in question refuses to surrender the decorations or medals and cannot provide a reasonable explanation as to their validity, a branch president has some options:
They can notify law enforcement authorities of an alleged breach of Criminal Code S. 419.
If any member believes that the alleged Stolen Valour constitutes conduct that brings or tends to bring the Legion into discredit, a complaint can be lodged under Article III of the General By Laws. As per General By Law 304H, a branch president may deprive the member against whom the complaint is lodged of clubhouse privileges and remove them from office or position.
Additionally any member convicted in Canada of an offence under section 419 of the Criminal Code of Canada (Stolen Valour), shall be summarily expelled from the Legion as per The General By Laws article 203.
It is not recommended that the branch President officially engage with or solicit assistance from SVC; they are not an arm or resource of the Royal Canadian Legion and should not be treated as such. However, the members accused of Stolen Valour is to be made aware that SVC rarely lets an allegation go if they believe they have a case.
