Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on behalf of Canadian veterans of the Korean war. These veterans are not authorized to wear the Republic of Korea War Service Medal, which was awarded to them by the South Korean government in 1951.
So far they have received little help from the Government of Canada. I understand that when this medal was first issued, Commonwealth countries jointly decided to issue their own medal recognizing the sacrifice and courage of Commonwealth soldiers.
I have been working on this issue for several months and have found that other Commonwealth countries have allowed their veterans to wear this medal. Australia and Britain, and more recently New Zealand and the United States, have all allowed their veterans to wear this medal.
I have contacted the Chancellery of Honours, which informed me that it is looking into the matter.